UEHP calls for a stronger European commitment to mobilising all healthcare capacity, promoting sustainable investment and ensuring transparent and fair conditions for healthcare providers.
Brussels, 6 November 2026 – A delegation from the European Union of Private Hospitals (UEHP) met in Brussels with the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, to discuss the contribution of private hospitals to the resilience, sustainability and competitiveness of European healthcare systems.
The UEHP delegation included its President, Óscar Gaspar, the Vice-Presidents Béatrice Noëlec and Cristian Hotoboc and Ilaria Giannico, Secretary General of UEHP.
The meeting provided an opportunity to present the perspective of European private hospitals on the challenges facing healthcare systems and to discuss how European institutions can contribute to more sustainable, efficient and inclusive healthcare policies.
UEHP particularly welcomed the Commissioner’s openness, attentive listening and constructive approach to dialogue, which allowed for a substantive exchange of views on the challenges and opportunities facing European healthcare.
Commissioner Várhelyi also emphasised the importance of a shared commitment from all healthcare stakeholders to strengthen prevention and ensure that healthcare systems are prepared and resilient in the face of future health and climate-related crises. This call for collective responsibility was fully aligned with UEHP’s conviction that Europe must mobilise all available healthcare resources to address common challenges.
“Europe cannot achieve greater healthcare resilience, better access to care and stronger competitiveness without fully mobilising the contribution of all healthcare providers,” stated Óscar Gaspar, President of UEHP.
Four priorities for European healthcare. During the meeting, UEHP highlighted four fundamental priorities:
- Making full use of Europe’s healthcare capacity
Healthcare policies should encourage the effective use of all available resources, avoiding unnecessary barriers that limit capacity, investment or patient choice.
- Ensuring the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems
Financing frameworks should preserve healthcare capacity, promote efficiency and encourage investment. Differences in financing between providers should be transparent and objectively justified by differences in missions, obligations, patient needs or costs.
- Recognising healthcare as a strategic pillar of European competitiveness
Strong healthcare systems contribute to economic productivity, workforce participation, innovation and social cohesion. Healthcare sustainability and investment should therefore be more explicitly integrated into Europe’s broader resilience and competitiveness agenda.
- Same mission, same rules
UEHP drew attention to structural asymmetries affecting private hospitals in several Member States, including differences in financing, licensing, access to public programmes, healthcare professional training and investment conditions.
While recognising the diversity of national healthcare systems, UEHP considers that differences in the treatment of providers should be transparent, proportionate and objectively justified, rather than based simply on their ownership status.
A constructive role for the European Commission
UEHP recognises that the organisation and financing of healthcare remain primarily the responsibility of Member States. Nevertheless, the European Commission can play an important role in supporting national healthcare systems and encouraging the exchange of evidence and best practices.
For UEHP, the meeting represents an important opportunity to strengthen dialogue between European institutions and private healthcare providers, with a common focus on patients, quality, access to care and sustainability.
The participation of the Presidents of the French Federation of Private Hospitals and Clinics (FHP), Lamine Gharbi, and of the Association of Private Hospitals of Romania (PALMED) allowed to detail some issues in a European systemic challenge we face.
“Our objective is not to defend one model of healthcare provision over another. It is to ensure that all providers can contribute effectively to stronger and more sustainable healthcare systems. Europe needs investment, innovation and efficiency, and this requires fair and transparent conditions for everyone,” concluded Óscar Gaspar.
UEHP reiterated its willingness to contribute evidence, national experiences and practical proposals to support the European Commission’s work in building more resilient, accessible and sustainable healthcare systems.
Read the full press release here.
