The basic building blocks of the European Union are (so some would say) four freedoms: free movement of capital, goods, people and services. A couple of months ago, the European Parliament passed with considerable difficulties and several amendments a directive on the free movement of services in the EU internal market.

One of the matters that was omitted from that directive was also health services. That means that current European legislation concerning the free movement of services in the field of health care remains as it is and is not in anyway modified.

Another basic principle of the European Union is a free movement of people. It enables people to settle down freely and to accept work in any of the member states. This is advantageous not only for them but also for all the European Union. I agree with that. When deciding where to look for a job or moving to other country than very important question is the availability and accessibility of health care. People are rightly asking them selves: If they move for their job to different country, what is going to happen with their health care?

The competition in services brings advantages for costumers. The competition also brings higher quality and lower prices. Logically we come to the conclusion, that even in health services the competition is advantageous.

People more often make health care claims in other countries than in their home country. The reasons are obvious: easier accessibility, higher quality or lower prices. However, receiving health services in foreign countries entails huge administrative barriers. Patient must elaborately prove that they are insured and what their insurance covers. Provider of care must elaborately investigate who is the policy holder and what his insurance covers. The provider of care must elaborately investigate who will cover the provided care and under which conditions. This whole issue involves high level of uncertainty. The patient has no information about his rights and obligations, the health worker does not have certainty, that someone will pay to him.

In the system the rules are missing. Receiving and being reimbursed for health care in foreign countries is currently governed only by large body of case law of the European court of justice.

Without a doubt, the system providing health services to citizens of other countries needs its own rules. Besides the legislation, which preparation and approval is going to take many years, it is possible to adopt some measures, which will help people immediately.

The first area, in which immediate intervention is needed, relates to the awareness of people and health workers about their rights and duties. The current situation is untenable. No one, even professionals knows what the situation is. Neither patients nor health workers have a clear idea about how the system works. And even when it comes to receiving health care, the patient and the health workers have to fill out a lot of documents and none of them is certain how their situation will be financially resolved.

The whole process could be put ahead, simplified and made more transparent by a good quality system of identification. Nowadays technologies can enable not only patients to be identified "on-line", but also their insurance companies.

A Good quality system of identification can provide health workers with immediate confirmation from the insurance company about, if and when the concrete care will be paid and in what amount. Furthermore, patient will know what type of care he can ask for, under which conditions and how much he might pay himself.

The Second area, in which immediate reform is possible, is the quality and continuity of health care provision. Currently, there is not really any system of sharing and exchanging of information between health institutions in different countries. It is not necessary to be an expert to understand that health care must have continuity of care - especially, when the illness of the patient is serious. If the health care does not have continuity, meaning if the doctor does not have information about the health care provided in previous country, many mistakes can be made. It is not uncommon, that are pointlessly repeated, meaning a delay in diagnosis and treatment and mistakes and errors are being repeated.

How can the European Union contribute to improvement? It is definitely necessary to support an interoperability information system in health care. In every country, in hospitals and in emergency rooms there are many information systems. The information that is saved in those systems is not mutually accessible. If the European Union clearly defines the interface, in which the systems would be able to exchange information, it would contribute to an essential increase of quality of health care.

Sharing and exchanging of health information is also a very sensitive topic also from the point of view of legislation and protection of name and description (personal data). That is why it is necessary to have clear political support. Our duty is to look for such a resolution, which will respect the people's privacy, and at the same time it will offer fast and good quality health care within the framework of European Union without bureaucratical difficulties.