merrion street

Minister Harris is today (Tuesday 17th January) attending the OECD Health Ministerial meeting in Paris,with Health Ministers from over 35 OECD and partner countries. Ministers will address issues including how to ensure sustainable access to innovative treatments and how to tackle ineffective health spending. The OECD Health Ministerial is held every 5-6 years.

Speaking ahead of the event, Minister Harris said “Accessing new and innovative drugs is a challenge facing many countries. I am particularly looking forward to continuing my discussions with Ministers on international collaboration to secure better outcomes in relation to accessing new drugs. I firmly believe international collaboration can be an effective tool to secure a better outcome for patients and health care services.”

Ministers will also agree on future priorities for the work of the OECD’s Health Committee, including further work on tackling public health challenges such as obesity, harmful alcohol consumption, smoking and anti-microbial resistance; and the development of new measures on patient experiences and outcomes.