BRUSSELS: Europeans remain at risk of running short of medicines, including common antibiotics and other vital treatments, a European Court of Auditors report showed Wednesday.
The European Commission identified fragile supply chains and heavy reliance on Asian manufacturers, especially for essential drugs such as antibiotics and painkillers, as key causes, the ECA said.
In July, European crisis chief Hadja Lahbib said the EU aims to stockpile critical medical equipment and vaccines in case of future health crises and to create a network to improve coordination among member states.
But the ECA warned that stockpiling in some countries could worsen medical shortages elsewhere in the bloc.
Shortages peaked in 2023 and 2024, with EU countries running critically short of 136 medicines between January 2022 and October 2024, the report said.
ECA said the shortages are a “chronic headache for the EU,” with the bloc still lacking a “well-oiled system” for addressing severe medicine shortages.
Auditors found the system to prevent drug shortages lacked a solid legal framework and timely information, with the European Medicines Agency, the region’s drug regulator, having limited powers outside health crises.
“Medicine shortages can have severe consequences for patients, compromise public health and come at a high cost for doctors, pharmacies and countries alike,” said Klaus Heiner Lehne, the ECA member leading the audit.
Regulatory barriers in the EU’s medicine market hinder cross-border redistribution, worsening drug shortages and unequal access, the report said.
The Commission has proposed legal changes that aim to cut reliance on countries such as China and India and, once passed, could significantly improve the system, the report added.
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Europe struggles with chronic drug shortages, auditors warn
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Europe struggles with chronic drug shortages, auditors warn
- The European Commission identified fragile supply chains and heavy reliance on Asian manufacturers
- The ECA warned that stockpiling in some countries could worsen medical shortages elsewhere in the bloc
Indian teacher who created hundreds of learning centers wins $1 million Global Teacher Prize
DUBAI: An Indian teacher and activist known for creating hundreds of learning centers and painting educational murals across the walls of slums won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize on Thursday.
Rouble Nagi accepted the award at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, an annual event that draws leaders from across the globe.
Her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation has established more than 800 learning centers across India. They aim to have children who never attended school begin to have structured learning. They also teach children already in school.
Nagi also paints murals that teach literacy, science, math and history, among other topics.
The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation, whose founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company that runs dozens of schools in Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.
“Rouble Nagi represents the very best of what teaching can be – courage, creativity, compassion, and an unwavering belief in every child’s potential,” Varkey said in a statement posted to the Global Teacher Prize website. “By bringing education to the most marginalized communities, she has not only changed individual lives, but strengthened families and communities.”
Nagi plans to use the $1 million to build an institute that offers free vocational training.
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said Nagi’s prize “reminds us of a simple truth: teachers matter.”
In comments carried on the prize website, Giannini said UNESCO was “honored to join the Global Teacher Prize in celebrating teachers like you, who, through patience, determination, and belief in every learner, help children into school — an act that can change the course of a life.”
Nagi is the 10th teacher to win the award, which the foundation began handing out in 2015.
Past winners of the Global Teacher Prize have included a Kenyan teacher from a remote village who gave away most of his earnings to the poor, a Palestinian primary school teacher who teaches her students about non-violence and a Canadian educator who taught a remote Arctic village of Inuit students. Last year’s winner was Saudi educator Mansour Al-Mansour, who was known for his work with the poor in the kingdom.
GEMS Education, or Global Education Management Systems, is one of the world’s largest private school operators and is believed to be worth billions. Its success has followed that of Dubai, where only private schools offer classes for the children of the foreigners who power its economy.
Rouble Nagi accepted the award at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, an annual event that draws leaders from across the globe.
Her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation has established more than 800 learning centers across India. They aim to have children who never attended school begin to have structured learning. They also teach children already in school.
Nagi also paints murals that teach literacy, science, math and history, among other topics.
The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation, whose founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company that runs dozens of schools in Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.
“Rouble Nagi represents the very best of what teaching can be – courage, creativity, compassion, and an unwavering belief in every child’s potential,” Varkey said in a statement posted to the Global Teacher Prize website. “By bringing education to the most marginalized communities, she has not only changed individual lives, but strengthened families and communities.”
Nagi plans to use the $1 million to build an institute that offers free vocational training.
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said Nagi’s prize “reminds us of a simple truth: teachers matter.”
In comments carried on the prize website, Giannini said UNESCO was “honored to join the Global Teacher Prize in celebrating teachers like you, who, through patience, determination, and belief in every learner, help children into school — an act that can change the course of a life.”
Nagi is the 10th teacher to win the award, which the foundation began handing out in 2015.
Past winners of the Global Teacher Prize have included a Kenyan teacher from a remote village who gave away most of his earnings to the poor, a Palestinian primary school teacher who teaches her students about non-violence and a Canadian educator who taught a remote Arctic village of Inuit students. Last year’s winner was Saudi educator Mansour Al-Mansour, who was known for his work with the poor in the kingdom.
GEMS Education, or Global Education Management Systems, is one of the world’s largest private school operators and is believed to be worth billions. Its success has followed that of Dubai, where only private schools offer classes for the children of the foreigners who power its economy.
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