Greetings from the General Assembly!

European Junior Doctors (EJD) advance healthcare policy discussions at Spring Meeting in Montpellier.

Montpellier, France – May 3rd - 4th, 2024 – The European Junior Doctors Association (EJD) convened its Spring Meeting in Montpellier, France, where junior doctors from across 24 European countries gathered to address pressing issues in healthcare and advocate for policy changes.

Key discussions during the meeting included:

• Quality of Care and Patient Safety: Valter Fonseca, MD PhD, Technical Officer at WHO Athens Office, stressed the need for a systemic approach to quality of care, emphasising interventions at both macro and micro levels.
• Postgraduate Training (PGT): Presentations and discussions were held on policy documents and collaboration to map PGT systems across the EU in collaboration with UEMS.
• Medical Workforce Forum (MWF): Updates were shared on forced allocation phenomena, labour laws affecting junior doctors, and discussions on mobility trends and workforce retention.
• National Issues and Reports (NIR): Various country presentations were provided, including concerns about healthcare privatisation and some improvements in healthcare regulation, for example, Croatia.
• EMOs Focus: The Academy for Clinical Leadership highlighted the need for physician managers, while CEOM discussed efforts to address violence against doctors and burnout.

Policy approvals included measures to address the climate emergency, support for Greek colleagues and a study proposal on working hours of junior doctors in the European Region. 

During the Meeting, EJD approved a Climate Policy and now aligns with other medical organisations in addressing the climate emergency, committing to efforts in reducing climate change. Climate change has severe public health repercussions and increases population disease burden and mortality.  Stay tuned for the release of the policy later this spring. 

The General Assembly also expressed their concerns about Slovenian healthcare crisis and released a statement to support Slovenian junior doctors and their ongoing strike for better working conditions. EJD is concerned about the negative media campaign against doctors, which threatens to erode public trust in the healthcare system and could have far-reaching systemic implications. We urge the Slovenian government to engage in meaningful dialogue with healthcare professionals. Read more on "EJD Calls for Immediate Government Action on Slovenian Healthcare Crisis."
 

“This meeting marks significant progress in our efforts to address key issues affecting junior doctors across Europe. We are committed to advocating for policies that prioritise the well-being of healthcare professionals and improve patient care.”

Alvaro Cerame, EJD President

For contact: Secretariat of EJD office@juniordoctrs.eu