On the occasion of National Multiple Sclerosis Week dedicated to information on the disease, during a live streaming on Aism.it, in view of the next European elections, the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association made an appeal to Italian candidates. During this discussion, Aism presented its Manifesto, which highlights 30 lines of action on the priorities of health, scientific research, inclusion and social participation.
With around 1.2 million people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) in Europe, of which 800 thousand in the European Union, the urgency of addressing this social emergency is evident. It is a disease that mainly affects young people under 40 and women, with high social costs. However, the lack of national strategies and opportunities for political participation for patient organizations has left many issues ‘under the table’. The disparities in access to treatments – explains Aism in a note – are notable as highlighted by the survey conducted by the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) in 2020. Only 43% of people with MS receive treatments that modify the course of the disease, with percentages ranging from 90% in Lithuania, Malta and Switzerland to 10% in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. These obstacles, combined with limited accessibility to symptomatic medicines and a lack of social inclusion, are part of a broader picture of discrimination and inequality affecting people with disabilities on our continent.
The upcoming European elections offer a crucial opportunity to raise the agenda of MS and related pathologies – underlines the association – and initiatives such as the face-to-face meeting, via webinar, organized by Aism with the Italian candidates for the future European Parliament are extraordinary importance. In detail, the MS and related pathologies 2025 Agenda, included in the Manifesto, proposes a series of fundamental priorities such as the recognition and support of European networks and consortia dedicated to MS, the inclusion of multiple sclerosis, Nmosd (mental spectrum of neuromyelitis optica) and Mogad (disease associated with anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies) in European funding programmes, and investment in technologies and digital medicine to improve the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of the disease.
The aim of the initiative is to promote policies that guarantee fair and timely access to medicines, facilitate patient participation in research and ensure adequate funding for scientific research, with particular attention to the priorities of Agenda 2025 which also includes support for medical associations patients and non-profit research foundations, the promotion of culture, information and awareness on MS and the integration of the objectives of the UN Agenda 2030 into European policies.
In this perspective of commitment and collaboration, the president of the Foundation (Fism) Mario Alberto Battaglia states: “We will compare ourselves with the candidates for the new European Parliament on the challenging map of priorities, actions and choices that Aism has developed for Europe of the coming years. We will ask for their commitment, we will listen to what they want to share with us, we will share a common responsibility to build an inclusive society for all citizens, wherever they live”. Federica Balzani, a young woman with MS and vice president of Emsp, assures us: “We in the multiple sclerosis and related pathologies movement are ready to do our part, for a more inclusive Europe, to directly support the realization of the rights and desires of many citizens like us.”
Aism and the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform – concludes the note – are committed to working with all stakeholders for the good of all, contributing to the progress of therapies, rehabilitation, work and scientific research.
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