The Clínic Hospital of Barcelona is renowned for excellence in the field of international health and is a leading point of reference both nationally and internationally. Its work in this field is based on a model that integrates a powerful research unit with world-class health care and academic institutions, such as the Clínic Hospital of Barcelona and Barcelona University, laying the foundations on which to build a presence in low-income countries (Mozambique, Morocco and others).
Among the many activities carried out by the team, the following are particularly noteworthy:
This positioning of the Clínic’s Centre for International Health is in line with other trends that are making international health an increasingly strategic sector for both governments and powerful private foundations, such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ($1.5 trillion in 2004) and The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization ($1 trillion over 5 years).
- The AIDS pandemic, and more recently, the endemic potential of the bird flu virus, have altered the former status quo in many poor countries and caused concern in rich ones. These have provoked extreme situations which, in these times of globalisation and readily available information, have led to high-profile awareness campaigns.
- Immigration and international travel are bringing virtually forgotten or emerging diseases into our environment and are creating the need to protect ourselves against them.
- Less than 10% of the world’s research budget is spent on diseases that affect 90% of the global population.
In view of this situation, the Hospital has set itself a series of challenges for the next three years. These are:
- To consolidate its position as a Lead Centre for imported pathologies and health care for international travellers.
- To participate in and lead research institutions in the international health arena, operating at both a regional (Centre de Recerca en Salut Internacional de Barcelona) and national (CIBER de Salud Pública) level.
- To consolidate collaborative projects with Mozambique, Morocco and Argentina, employing a broad approach in which health care, teaching, research, and even consultancy complement one another. A good example of this is the recent work done in Tucumán, Argentina, where consultancy on hospital organisation was combined with research projects linked to Chagas’ disease.
- To reinforce and diversify sources of funding, exploring the potential offered by corporate social responsibility, among other others, so as to ensure long-term consolidation of current projects, such as the Manhiça centre, and to permit development of new projects and consolidation of world-class research teams.