The European Union will form a health union for the bloc to help deal with any health crises that arise in the future.
The European Parliament voted on Friday to create a European Health Union that will bolster the bloc’s cooperation on maters health.
The move comes amid the global COVID-19 pandemic that has infected more than 2.5 million and killed over 195,000 in Europe alone.
“The new dedicated €9.4 billion EU4Health Programme is strongly welcomed and MEPs believe that long-term investments and commitments are needed. They request the establishment of a dedicated EU fund to improve hospital infrastructure and health services,” a statement from the bloc said.
The new health union is expected to harmonize the European countries’ health strategies post-COVID-19.
The move comes as the number of global COVID-19 infections surpassed 12.3 million with a death toll exceeding 555,000.
As the world continues its fight against the disease, the World Health Organization dispatched two experts to China to meet with fellow scientists and learn about the progress made in understanding the animal reservoir for COVID-19 and how the disease jumped between animals and humans.
“This will help lay the ground work for the WHO-led international mission into the origins,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom on Friday.
Adhanom once again reiterated his earlier calls for unity in the fight against the disease, saying it is “the best shot we have.”
