EURO HEALTH Podcast

The guest on the second episode of the Euro Health podcast is Mat Southwell, one of the UK's leading harm reduction workers and Project executive at the European Network of People who use Drugs (EuroNPUD), an organization that represents people who use drugs in and around the EU and includes drug users as part of the solution and helps drug-focused groups in different countries. Mat Southwell has spoken openly about his own experiences of drug use in a past interview with the BBC. What impact did it have on his working life? What are the barriers to legitimacy and credibility for former drug users? How has his attitude to drugs changed over the years he has been working in the field of drug addiction? What is the difference between drug use and drug abuse? New policies in the European Union propose "addiction-free" treatment. Is it realistic to achieve an addiction-free generation? What impact could this have on drug users? “ It is not just the harm that comes with drug control but also lost benefits of not being able to explore the healing qualities of different drugs”, said Mat Southwell.

 🗣SPEAKER
                                                                                                                                                                                       Mat Southwell, Project executive at the European Network of People who use Drugs (EuroNPUD). He is an experienced drug practitioner and manager with more than 30 years of experience in HIV, drug use, and harm reduction. He founded the Healthy Options Team (HOT), a pioneering community harm reduction team, before going on to manage NHS as Head of Service for the wider health-based drug services in East London and the City until 1998. This included managing Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) programs and reorganizing drug treatment services to promote the involvement of General Practitioners and the effective management of people who use drugs with complex needs. In 1999, Mat Southwell decided to come out publicly as a drug user on a BBC documentary leading to his dismissal from the NHS and the loss of his successful private consulting firm. He also sat on the Board of UNAIDS for 3 years as a civil society representative and is now a consultant focusing on drugs and HIV advocacy with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and HIV. He is a high-level advocate with experience engaging with the United Nations and other global and European bodies to promote health and defend the rights of people who use drugs. Mat has produced several technical, practice development, and peer support resources that help with the implementation of good practices in harm reduction, community mobilization, and drug treatment. 

🎙EURO HEALTH PODCAST           

Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading experts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Jan Klusáček. 

How can people’s live be improved? This is the key question and goal for Dianova International, an NGO with 35 years of experience in that regard. Dianova‘s main fields of work are prevention and treatment of addiction. The organisation provides residential and outpatient programs and services on the ground. Dianova works at the advocacy level at international forums and organizations dealing with drug policies, health as well as human rights. To date, Dianova focuses on helping people in 19 countries on 4 different continents. What does the organisation do to prevent social isolation and discrimination of people dealing with addiction or people in recovery? What is the role of decision-makers in designing addiction policies? How can addiction be understood in general and why is someone more or less susceptible to have a substance use disorder? What role do mental health, gender, social, cultural and other aspects play in prevention and treatment? How important is a thorough knowledge of the patients and their individuality when it comes to treatment? Find answers to these and many other questions in the 1st episode of 2nd season of the Euro Health podcast with Lucia Goberna Lehmann and Gisela Hansen Rodríguez from Dianova International.               
                           
🗣SPEAKERS   
                                                                                                                                                                                          Lucia Goberna Lehmann is a Spanish and German national. She holds a BA degree in Political and Administration Sciences from Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain) and MA in European Studies from Sabanci University (Istanbul, Turkey). Lucía is part of Dianova International’s team since 2014, in charge of institutional relations. She is engaged in civil society participation in policy-making, particularly at the UN level. From 2018 to 2020 she was part of the Board of Viena NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC), having the chance to represent the views of the organization within and outside UNODC. Ms. Goberna enjoys expertise with policy monitoring, international affairs and political advocacy. Prior to DIANOVA, she worked in the fields of European policies, human rights and education projects in Belgium and Turkey, for example, in the Balearic Islands' delegation in Brussels (a Spanish regional office).

Gisela Hansen Rodríguez holds a PhD in clinical Psychology by Autonomic University of Barcelona (Spain) and two Masters of Science in Psychological Research from Autonomic University of Barcelona and ISEP. She works particularly on gender approach, mental health, stigma and childrens rights approach in the field of addictions. She has been involved in the design and implementation of drug treatment services since 2012 in Dianova, and in the advocacy work at local, regional and national level (FCD, UNAD, RIOD). Director of Dianova Spain since January 2022. Dr. Hansen is a university Professor in the Department of Psychology in University of Barcelona and a researcher in the same university.

The new episode – and final episode of the first season – of the Euro Health Podcast focuses on the creation of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (EP BECA) of the European Parliament, which is considered as real milestone in health policy. In February 2021, the Commission adopted Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, a communication recommending EU Member States to strengthen Europe's resilience to the insidious disease - cancer. The Commission’s recommendations touched upon many sectors including and preventive measures on addictive substances that cause cancer, such as alcohol and tobacco, and ensuring greater transparency in the pharmaceutical industry regarding pricing and reimbursement. It led to the creation of EP BECA. EP BECA looked in more details at cancer prevention, diagnosis to advanced treatment and follow-up care. It also focused on access to cross-border treatments and affordability of new medicines. Following 15 months of an unprecedented consultation process with experts, international organizations, public consultations, and cooperation with national governments, the Special Committee issued a report made of recommendations on how to build a comprehensive and coordinated EU strategy to fight cancer. This episode welcomes two Members of the European Parliament: MEP Bartosz Arlukowicz, and MEP Radka Maxová. In the last episode of the season, both European decision-makers talk about the Committee’ main tasks and biggest achievements as well as its next steps and tools to implement the Commission's plan with a special regard to addictions management.

🗣SPEAKERS                                                                                                                                                                     
Radka Maxová is a Czech politician. She is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2019. She was elected among ANO’s representative, the ruling party of the Czech Republic. In October 2020, MEP Maxová decided to leave the populist political party, ANO. According to her, the movement has had deviated from its original ideas and became dominated by marketing interests. As a consequence of her political switch, she moved from Renew Europe to S&D political group in the European Parliament. In the European Parliament, MEP Radka Maxová is the Vice-chair of the Committee on Women’s rights and Gender Equality. She is a full member of the Special Committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation and of the Delegation to the EUMoldova Parliamentary Association Committee. MEP Maxová is also active in the work conducted by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. In the past, she has been a member of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) which was dissolved shortly after the European Parliament adopted the BECA Report in February 2022. 

Bartosz Arłukowicz is a Polish politician and pediatrician. He is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2019 among the group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats). He has served as Poland’s Minister of Health from 2011 to 2019. In the European Parliament, MEP Bartosz Arłukowicz is a full Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. From 2020 to 2021, MEP Arłukowiscz has served as Chair of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (EP BECA) which was dissolved shortly after the European Parliament adopted the BECA Report in February 2022. 

For its 11th episode, Euro Health Podcast welcomed Aleš Rod, Research Director at the Center for Economic and Market Analyses (CETA) based in the Czech Republic since 2013. What is CETA and what are its general activities? Also, since the beginning of the pandemic, interest in health policy has increased significantly. What are Aleš Rod’s activities on health-related matters? What role does CETA play in cancer prevention? Check out the new episode where you willl find the answers to these questions and more. 

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Ales Rod holds a Ph.D in Economic Theory from the University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic where he still delivers lectures. He currently works as Research Director at the Center for Economic and Market Analyses (CETA) based in Czech Republic. His research activities are related to economics of regulation with an application in energy and waste economy, public finance and banking. Moreover, he is involved in several projects dealing with shadow economy analysis and economics of luxury. Ales Rod is a board member of Consumer Forum Czech Republic, he cooperates with Europe’s Research Alliance for a Digital Economy in London and consults various projects dealing with smart cities and digital economy for both public and private subjects in the Czech Republic and abroad. Ales Rod has published several articles. Some of the most important publications include: Ales Rod and al., Price of alcohol in EU Member States – affordability of alcoholic products and role of excise duties, 4th International Scientific Conference – EMAN 2020 – Economics and Management: How to Cope With Disrupted Times, 2020, Ales Rod and al., Short-term rental platforms: Airbnb in V4 countries, 5th International Scientific Conference – EMAN 2021 – Economics and Management: How to Cope With Disrupted Times, 2021. Ales Rod and al. Packaging waste economy: insight into efficiency of monopolistic and competitive waste management systems in the EU, Fifth International Scientific-Business Conference LIMEN Leadership, Innovation, Management and Economics: Integrated Politics of Research, 2019.

 🎙EURO HEALTH PODCAST
 Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading experts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Tomáš Jirsa and Jan Klusáček.
 
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It is now more than two years since the global Covid-19 pandemic was declared. Time has come to take stock on how the very existence of covid has affected people in the world. What kind of impact did Covid-19 have on things like diet behaviors, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption? Why women and younger people’s mental health was more affected by lockdowns? Did having a pet help people during lockdowns? You will find these and other questions in the new Euro Health podcast episode with Dimitra Kale, Research Coordinator at the University College London.

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Dr Dimitra Kale holds a BSc in Psychology from Brunel University in London, a MSc in Health Psychology at King’s College London and University College London and recently completed a PhD in Psychology from Goldsmiths University of London. She is currently a Research Coordinator at the University College London. She works for UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research group which is part of the Department of Behavioral Science and Health. As a PhD student, Dimitra Kale examined the role of impulsivity-related traits with nicotine dependency. She investigated individual differences in cigarette smoking and vaping, and the role of vaping in smoking cessation at Goldsmith, University of London. She is now involved in a number of studies focusing on the development and evaluation of digital interventions for smoking cessation, and the analysis of survey data to gain insight into population-wide influences on smoking and vaping. In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, she contributes to a survey study to gain a better understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on health behaviours among UK adults. Dr Kale has published several articles and contributed to many books. Some of the most important publication include: 
• Dr Kale and al., Characterizing the patterns of and factors associated with increased alcohol consumption since COVID‐19 in a UK sample, Drug and alcohol review. 2021, pp. 890-899. 
• Dr Kale and al., Associations between vaping and Covid-19: Crosssectional findings from the HEBECO study, Drug and alcohol dependency. 2021, 108590. 
• Dr Kale and al., Changes in Cigarette Smoking and Vaping in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK: Findings from Baseline and 12- Month Follow up of HEBECO Study, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022, 19 (2), 630. 
• Trait impulsivity, cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use, Goldsmiths, University of London. 2020.

🎙EURO HEALTH PODCAST 
Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading experts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Tomáš Jirsa and Jan Klusáček. 

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When will the pandemic end?“ „Well I am sorry I forgot my crystal ball.“ These sentences are opening the 9th Episode of Euro Health Podcast with Peter Piot. It is not possible to fully predict the future, but we can be slightly optimistic on the development of the COVID-19 virus. It is not the end of the pandemic, but with Omicron variant we can expect better times. But what will our future look like? Is there going to be some „new normal“? How should we look at the measures for the future? Will wearing a face mask or taking regular COVID-19 testing become our daily routine? These and many more questions in the new Euro Health Podcast episode. 

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Peter Piot is a Belgian national, a Handa Professor of Global Health and the former Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He holds a medical degree from the University of Ghent (1974), and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Antwerp (1980). In May 2020, the European Commission has appointed Belgian virologist Peter Piot to the post of special advisor to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on the response to the coronavirus and COVID-19. In December 2021, it has been announced that Prof Piot will be the Chief Scientific Advisor for Epidemics in the EU. Before entering the European Commission, Peter Piot has had a long career in health-related matters. In 1976, two years after graduating from the University of Ghent, he co-discovered the Ebola virus in Zaire, the current Democratic Republic of Congo. He also led pioneering research on HIV/AIDS, women’s health, and infectious diseases, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. From 1995 until 2008, Peter Piot directed the United Nations AIDS programme and worked as Under Secretary-General of the United Nations. Peter Piot has also had an extensive teaching career. He was a professor of microbiology, and of public health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, the Free University of Brussels, and the University of Nairobi. He was a Senior Fellow at the University of Washington, a Scholar in Residence at the Ford Foundation, and a Senior Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He was the Director of the Institute for Global Health at Imperial College, London, and held the chair 2009/2010 "Knowledge against poverty" at the College de France.

🎙EURO HEALTH PODCAST
 Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading experts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Tomáš Jirsa and Jan Klusáček.
  
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Topic number one is the new coronavirus mutation called omicron. What this variant will mean for us? Will it mean different regulations? Do current vaccine work for new omicron variant? How is the situation with vaccination in Poland? What would Prof. Fal say to the antivaxers?

🗣SPEAKER
Professor Andrzej Mariusz Fal was born in Wroclaw, Poland. He graduated from the medi-cal University in 1988, and from the University of Economics in 1996. He holds a degree in allergology, internal medicine and public health. He did post-doctoral studies at Johns’ Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA (1997-1999). He has also been trained at National Heart and Lung Institute in London, UK (1990) and at the Hospital in Vesteras & University of Lund, Sweden (2003). Since 2010, Prof. Fal is a Professor and the Head of the Department of Allergy, Pulmonary Diseases and Internal Medicine at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Minitry of Interior and Administration in Warsaw. He is as well a visiting professor at the Department of Public Health at the Wroclaw Medical University. In November 2014, he has been elected to be a President of the Polish Society of Public Health. Therefore, Prof. Fal is also part of the executive board of European Public Health Association (EUPHA). EUPHA is an international, multidisciplinary, scientific organisation, bringing together around 23’000 public health experts for professional exchange and collaboration throughout Europe. It en-courages a multi-disciplinary approach to public health. It aims at improving health and well-being and narrowing health inequalities for all Europeans. EUPHA seeks to support its members to improve health in Europe, adding value to the efforts of stakeholders in regions and states, in national and international organisations, and individual public health professi-onals. Prof. Fal is also a member of the Drug Management Team of the Ministry of Health. 

 📍TOPIC 
The omicron variant was found early November in Botswana, it is first variant with 50 different mutations, what makes it very dangerous. In some countries where are people not vaccinated at all, for example countries like Africa, Botswana, where omicron firstly showed up, they became reservoir for COVID -19. In such countries the virus has free space to develop and mutate to very dangerous variants and than be exported to other countries. We need to convince people not just to get their injection, but we also need to finantially support countries that are not able to finantially afford it.

🎙EURO HEALTH PODCAST
Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading ex-perts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Tomáš Jirsa and Jan Klusáček.
 
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What is the EP Special Committee on Beating Cancer? What were the main priorities of MEP Ondrej Knotek and Renew Europe in the BECA Report? What to expect in the BECA Report on topics such as tobacco prevention?

🗣SPEAKER
Ondřej Knotek is a Czech Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for ANO 2011, as part of the Renew Europe Group. He is serving his first term at the European Parliament following his election in May 2019. Knotek holds degrees from the Czech Technical University and the Institute of Chemical Technology, both located in Prague. Previously, he worked as a quality manager at ROTAREX, a Czech pharmaceutical company, where he implemented EU legislation on medical products such as the Medical Device Regulation (MDR). Since 2019, MEP Knotek is a member of the Committee on Regional Development (REGI) as well as a substitute of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). In addition to his committee assignments, Knotek is part of the Parliament's delegation to the EU Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee and a substitute in the EU Albania Committee. In 2020, MEP Knotek joined the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA).

 📍TOPIC 
The BECA Committee created in line with the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan gathers MEPs from every political party and investigates the actions and policies the EU can undertake to fight cancer. BECA has a twelve month mandate to look at aspects such as: actions in cancer detection, prevention, treatment, and care; priorities and policies beneficial for patients; preventive measures to be taken in relevant policy areas; supporting research on rare form of cancer; access to cross-border treatments; new medicines and their affordability. The Special Committee will deliver a final report outlining the views on the MEPs on how to best address cancer. The Special Committee will vote on the Final BECA Report at the beginning of December (either 6th or 9th of December). Following that, the whole European Parliament will vote on the BECA’s Report in February 2022.

 
🎙EURO HEALTH PODCAST
Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading experts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Tomáš Jirsa and Jan Klusáček.
 
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Is harm reduction policy applicable for children? How to find a proper limit to protect our children? How was addiction policy influenced by pandemic? Wich countries are the most inspiring in the area of drug policy? What is YODA and how it contributes to effective development of addiction policy?

  🗣SPEAKER

Ms. Iga Jeziorska studied social prevention and resocialisation in Poland and moved to Hungary in 2013. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Institute of Economic and Public Policy of the Corvinus University of Budapest. Iga has been involved in the field of drug policy since 2011. She has been involved in the work of the Social Drug Policy Initiative in Poland and is now involved in the work of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs in the EU.  The purpose of this expert group is to provide a broad platform for a structured dialogue between the Commission and the European civil society which supports drug policy formulation and implementation through practical advice. Since 2016, Ms. Jeziorska joined the Youth Organisations for Drug Action (YODA). YODA is a network of youth organizations and young activists, working in 21 European countries, which advocates for human rights and public health to be firstly considered when looking for solutions to the global drug problem. 

 📍TOPIC 

 Ms. Iga Jeziorska visited Prague due to her involvement in the 5th European Harm Reduction Conference. In this episode she will speak about how pandemic showed importancy of takeing care of mental health, that is also close related to people using substances. This fact can help policy makers to realise that this topic should be more prioritized. In this episode Ms. Jeziorska also compared changes in addiction policy and takeing care of mental health that have taken place in Hungary and Poland and mentioned countriest that are inspirational in area of drug policy. One of the main topics was also YODA, where Ms Jeziorska is a deputy director. She described its function and philosophy, and partial processes that lead to better results in looking for solutions to the global drug problem.
 
🎙EURO HEALTH PODCAST
Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading experts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Tomáš Jirsa and Jan Klusáček.
 
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What are the key topics of the 5th European Harm Reduction Conference that took place in Prague in November? What is the one thing Ms. Schiffer wants people to learn about harm reduction during the conference? How people who use drugs can help with solutions in harm reduction? Are there some major changes in thinking in Europe about harm reduction? How people that use drugs have changed in general?

 🗣SPEAKER
Ms. Katrin Schiffer studied social work in Germany and moved to the Netherlands in 1994.  Since 1996, Katrin works for The Rainbow Group – a lowthreshold organisation targeting drug users, homeless people and people with mental health problems. From 1997 to 2003, Katrin coordinated a European Network focusing on male sex work, financed by the European Commission. Since 2005, Katrin is one of the coordinators of Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, with more than 250 members in all European countries. C-EHRN envisions a fair and more inclusive Europe, in which people who use drugs, including other related vulnerable and marginalised people, have equal and universal access to health and social services without being discriminated against and stigmatised. The organization believes that civil society and in particular people who use drugs should play a vital role in the development and the implementation of inclusive interventions and policies.

📍TOPIC
Ms. Schiffer visited Prague because of her involvement in the organization of the 5th European Harm Reduction Conference. The conference is organized by Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, an organization which is co-led by Ms. Schiffer. Harm reduction is effective, but it is necessary to do more scientific reaserch and involve government that takes more responsibility by money and resources. Polititians also need to listen more to civil society and people who use drugs. The research should not be only about scientific evidence, but also about practical evidence and experience. People who use drugs are seen as a problem, but not as a part of the solution.

🎙EURO HEALTH PODCAST
Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading experts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Tomáš Jirsa and Jan Klusáček.
 
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