Transcript Albert KERN

Quality Standards from Policy Perspectives
Albert Kern, Federal Ministry of Health, Germany
Parallel Session B – Implementation Processes
17 June 2011, 9.00 – 10.15 h, Salle Polak
Quality Standards in drug demand
reduction
Current situation in Germany:
• A lot of actors with different responsibilities, interests
and goals in the main fields of action (prevention,
treatment, harm reduction)
• Experiences with quality standards in drug prevention,
treatment and harm reduction
Questions and Answers

Which are the main challenges for an implementation of
EU Minimum Quality Standards at the national level?
Which actor from the EU-level can promote an
implementation of EU MQS at the national level?
Often more than one payer is responsible for QS in the
different drug demand reduction sectors. There is a
need to convince all of them.
Lack of clear regulations, which institution or
organisation is responsible for coordinating QSimplementation
Questions and Answers

Which are the main challenges for an implementation of
EU Minimum Quality Standards at the national level?
Doubts concerning the benefit of MQS compared with
the existing QS.
The different languages in the EU.
Convince all of us, that EU-MQS at the national level of
all EU Member States are a small but important
contribution for an unified EU
Questions and Answers

How can the expected political and financial problems be
met?
Short summaries of EU-QMS in all languages for all the
responsible actors in the drug demand fields
National Focal Points may organise national conferences to
explain and promote EU-QMS in their countries (REITOXAcademies).

How can the expected political and financial problems be
met?
Good arguments, that there will be a benefit for the drug
Questions and Answers

How can the expected professional concerns be met?
Training programms and study visits for professional not
convinced of EU-MQS – as a part of the EU Drug
Prevention and Information Programm
National Focal Points may organise national conferences to
explain and promote EU-QMS in their countries (REITOXAcademies).

How are the views of the service users taken into account?
Part of QS in german drug services are questionnaires for the
service users; the views and opinions of the service users
are known
Questions and Answers

Which legal conditions must be created for the
implementation of standards?
Change of the Lisbon Treaty?
Social Code IX (§20f.) and the legal frame by means of the
Social Code V and VI, mainly in form of federal laws
Changes in the Föderalismus-law
Questions and Answers


Is cooperation between the EU Member States useful for
sharing experience and best practice and how can this be
initiated?
What support could the EU provide?
Can be initiated or strenghtened with action grants within the
EU Drug Prevention and Information Programme and other
EU Programmes (Health, Research, ERA-Net)
Thank you for your attention!
Albert Kern
Federal Ministry of Health
Division Addiction and Drugs
Johannisstraße 5-6
10117 Berlin
[email protected]