Writing Fit

This week I was in Bucharest to launch the Romanian ‘Fit for Work’ report. The setting for the launch was the incredible Parliamentary Palace, second only to the Pentagon in size. It dominates the south-western part of the city and many houses, churches and a football stadium were demolished to make way for it and surrounding government buildings.
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Fit for Work Europe: Best Practice Sharing at EU Presidency Conference
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Today in Budapest, people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) joined leaders in rheumatology from across the EU to demand that policymakers acknowledge the impact RMDs have on a person’s ability to participate in society and so create national plans to address the burden of RMDs.

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You can now watch footage from our Fit for Work Greece launch below, and in the video section of the Fit for Work Europe website.

Maarten de Wit, Member of the Fit for Work Europe Coalition Steering Group, presented at the European Platform for Patients’ Organisations, Science and Industry workshop on Chronic Conditions on 10 December 2010. See his presentation below:

Fit for Work Europe at the EPPOSI (European Platform for Patients’ Organisations, Science and Industry) Wor…

I had the privilege yesterday to participate in the European Parliament Interest Group on Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases session in Brussels.

I found the meeting very dynamic and positive and I noticed that our efforts both in EULAR, the EUMUSC.NET and in Fit for Work Europe are well recognised both by the MEPs and the representatives for Commissioner John Dalli.

I attended a roundtable conference in Budapest on Tuesday, 30 November to launch the Fit for Work Hungary report. The room was full of stakeholders ranging from patient representatives to government officials. The discussion centred on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), workability and employment. We also heard from researchers interested in vitamin D deficiency focusing on primary prevention activities.

The roundtable was chaired by Dr. Arpád Gógl and Prof. Dr. Gyula Poór. They guided the discussion and ensured everyone had a chance to share their views. Dr. János Áder, MEP, and Dr.Miklós Szócska, the Health and Social Affairs State Secretary, welcomed the group and were pleased to support the discussion. We heard presentations from Dr. László Hodinka about the link between MSDs and workability and Prof. Dr. Péter Lakatos about vitamin D deficiency. Then, I presented the Fit for Work findings and recommendations for Hungary. We discussed the limitations of the Hungarian data and the recommendations to improve data collection in this area. Dr. Márta Péntek also highlighted the importance of gathering comparative data from countries with similar health and welfare systems.

The roundtable was an important step in working to address the impact of MSDs in Hungary. I look forward to future meetings and initiatives to continue the discussion during the coming year.

This Fit for Work presentation is a working document, designed to capture an overview of successes at EU and at in-country level.  If you would like a copy to use in Fit for Work activities, or to receive a copy of the template to record your own activities, please email us.
Fit for Work Europe National Best Practices

Tomorrow – for the second time – we will gather here in Brussels for the annual Fit for Work conference. I am delighted to be invited to co-host the conference this year, and will be joined by my fellow colleagues from the European Commission, the Council and partners from NGOs and the private sector.

I am an advocate for evolving societal and governmental thinking to develop effective European policies on public health, backed by evidence-based research. Fit for Work is a prime example for this! I am delighted to see the increased number of advocates for this innovative initiative, and hope many of you will join us in a few days.
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Fit for Work Summit 2010: Programme