The European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical, and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR) said that preliminary results from its Medical Imaging Equipment Age Profile and Density report reveal some alarming findings.
In particular, the density of imaging equipment per capita highlights "fundamental access inequalities," according to COCIR. The trade association said these inequalities are a direct consequence of the broad austerity measures European countries have been exacting on their healthcare delivery systems.
If the current trend is not reversed, European healthcare delivery systems will be unable to meet the challenges of the next decade, including the aging of its population and workforce, the increase of chronic diseases, patient security, quality expectations, and healthcare system sustainability in the widest sense, COCIR secretary general Nicole Denjoy said in a statement.
COCIR is calling on EU institutions and member states to further support the need for a comprehensive, coherent, and sustained investment and deployment strategy for all medical imaging equipment modalities and related healthcare information and communication technology equipment and services, through an effective use of cohesion policy funding.
