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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
EU aims to stockpile critical medical supplies for future crises
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, attends the London Sudan conference, marking the two-year anniversary of the Sudan conflict, at Lancaster House, in London, Britain April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/Pool/File Photo BRUSSELS - The European Union aims to stockpile critical medical equipment and vaccines in case of future health crises and to set up a network to ease coordination among EU countries, European crisis chief Hadja Lahbib said on Wednesday. The 27-country bloc is scarred by the memory of the COVID-19 pandemic when it faced a shortage of vaccines and protective masks. "We need a long-term strategy to make sure that essential supplies that keep society running are always available," European Commissioner Lahbib told a news conference. Under the EU Stockpiling and Medical Countermeasures Strategies, the EU will draw up a priority list of medical equipment to be stockpiled in Europe, including vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and personal protective equipment. The EU will double investments in the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, known as HERA for short, to 200 million euros ($234 million) by 2027, Lahbib said. The scheme funds research and development projects. She said the European Commission will also launch a Medical Countermeasures Accelerator to serve as a one-stop shop to help companies access financing to develop health technologies. A European and Global Wastewater Sentinel System will be set up to collect samples from European airports to detect disease hotspots and monitor in real time the evolution of outbreaks. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore to hire more than 1,000 new educators annually in the next few years, up from 700 Singapore COE prices rise for all categories Asia Malaysia confirms existence of document central to ex-PM Najib's house arrest bid, reports say Singapore Man who killed cats by throwing them off HDB blocks has jail term doubled to 27 months Singapore $43k fine for undischarged bankrupt doctor who failed to disclose assets worth over $4m Singapore Female primary school teacher charged over alleged sex acts with underage male student Singapore Goodbye fraudsters? Dating app Coffee Meets Bagel rolls out identity verification Asia Amid handshakes and familiar friends, Asean navigates tariffs and tension in KL Under a measure called the Medifence initiative, the EU will collaborate with NATO's Joint Health group to draw up a list of dual-use medical countermeasures - usable for both military and civilian purposes - such as antidotes and chemical protections. As part of the Stockpiling Strategy, the EU will develop a Stockpiling Network with member states to coordinate their initiatives and avoid duplicate funding. "We know that some countries are stockpiling on their own, but we don't know who has what. The first step is to exchange information," Lahbib said. REUTERS


The Star
4 days ago
- Health
- The Star
EU aims to stockpile critical medical supplies for future crises
FILE PHOTO: Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, attends the London Sudan conference, marking the two-year anniversary of the Sudan conflict, at Lancaster House, in London, Britain April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/Pool/File Photo BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union aims to stockpile critical medical equipment and vaccines in case of future health crises and to set up a network to ease coordination among EU countries, European crisis chief Hadja Lahbib said on Wednesday. The 27-country bloc is scarred by the memory of the COVID-19 pandemic when it faced a shortage of vaccines and protective masks. "We need a long-term strategy to make sure that essential supplies that keep society running are always available," European Commissioner Lahbib told a news conference. Under the EU Stockpiling and Medical Countermeasures Strategies, the EU will draw up a priority list of medical equipment to be stockpiled in Europe, including vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and personal protective equipment. The EU will double investments in the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, known as HERA for short, to 200 million euros ($234 million) by 2027, Lahbib said. The scheme funds research and development projects. She said the European Commission will also launch a Medical Countermeasures Accelerator to serve as a one-stop shop to help companies access financing to develop health technologies. A European and Global Wastewater Sentinel System will be set up to collect samples from European airports to detect disease hotspots and monitor in real time the evolution of outbreaks. Under a measure called the Medifence initiative, the EU will collaborate with NATO's Joint Health group to draw up a list of dual-use medical countermeasures - usable for both military and civilian purposes - such as antidotes and chemical protections. As part of the Stockpiling Strategy, the EU will develop a Stockpiling Network with member states to coordinate their initiatives and avoid duplicate funding. "We know that some countries are stockpiling on their own, but we don't know who has what. The first step is to exchange information," Lahbib said. ($1 = 0.8536 euros) (Reporting by Milan Strahm; editing by Barbara Lewis)


Saba Yemen
14-04-2025
- Health
- Saba Yemen
European official: There not even single morsel of bread in Gaza
Luxembourg – Saba: The European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, said, "For more than a month, no aid, no food, no electricity, not even a single morsel of bread has reached Gaza." Lahbib added, "While warehouses outside Gaza are full of food, food is running out in Gaza and rotting outside because we cannot access the area, at least 100 children are being killed or injured every day." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print