MRI Derogations: putting patients first.

Decision in favour of patients/ health protection remains safeguarded / Council must stop blocking

The European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) today approved, with a huge majority, a derogation for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) applications in the Directive on electromagnetic fields, to ensure that in the future, this vital medical application can still be used without problems. Staff must still be specially trained and follow strict application rules.

Philippe Juvin MEP, draftsman of the Committee paper, and Peter Liese, Spokesman on Health, recalled that with today's vote, MEPs have supported essential parts of the European Commission's proposal.

"The ENVI Committee has sent a strong signal to the Council, which is still blocking on this issue. We have made clear that we need the derogations for MRI applications. We urgently need a compromise on this Directive on behalf of the patients in order to avoid problems for the application of MRIs", said Messrs Juvin and Liese, both medical doctors.

"Without the derogation for MRI applications, the daily medical use of MRIs would be significantly complicated, and patients would not be examined and treated without problems. It would be particularly complicated in cases where a doctor or a nurse needs to accompany anxious patients like children or demented persons into the tube for the magnetic resonance therapy. Likewise, surgery under MRI would be significantly complicated. The technique is vital to diagnose and treat patients suffering from cancer or brain diseases", continued Peter Liese.

Within the framework of a strategy to protect employees from the risks arising from physical agents, the European Union already set limits for electromagnetic radiation back in 2004. The limits foreseen in the Directive pose a problem for medical examination using MRI. For over 30 years, no significant health risks have been reported. The risks are of a very theoretical nature. Due to protests by many doctors and patients, the EU Institutions delayed the entry-into-force of the Directive in 2008.

"Even though we approved the derogation for the medical application today, we have nevertheless ensured that medical staff face no risks, however theoretical it might be. This reasoning should now be supported in the Council of Ministers so that the Directive can enter into force quickly", said Philippe Juvin.

Both MEPs called on the Council to end its blockade and adopt the proposal quickly. "It would be baffling if the Member States continued to block a proposal which contributes to reducing bureaucracy on behalf of patients and doctors, and which the Commission presented and the Parliament supports", they concluded.