EU legislation offers hope for cross-border healthcare

PATIENTS going blind while waiting for treatment; women in particular being left in pain while they wait for a hip replacement; those with inherited conditions unable to get the lung or liver transplant they need.

New legislation going through the EU system has the potential to prevent some of these tragedies at least.

Members of the European Parliament voted the new Cross-Border Health Care draft through during the week. But this is just the first reading and the details have yet to be fully trashed out between the member states.