Health advocacy can be defined as the deliberate process, based on demonstrated evidence, to directly and indirectly influence decision-makers, stakeholders and relevant audiences to support and implement actions that contribute to improving patients’ lives.*
More concretely, advocacy enables change in institutional policy and practice, public health priorities and public opinion and behaviour.
Given that hospital-based dialysis can cost as much as 80K€ per patient per year, that 1 in 10 Europeans has some degree of kidney impairment and that 3 patients per day die in the EU while waiting for a transplant, it is urgent to call for a change to policies affecting kidney health and patient care in Europe.
EKHA calls on European stakeholders to take action to ensure this change will happen.
How? By advocating towards public and private audiences e.g policy-makers, industry, insurance/payers, doctors, patients, families, etc. in favour of organ donation and transplantation.
Check our “How to” and “Top tips and resources” sections.
*UNICEF. Advocacy Toolkit. A guide to influencing decisions that improve patient’s lives. New York; United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2010