ASiAn invASion wElcomEd - ProMéxico

62 Negocios i The Lifestyle photo courtesy of Instituto carso de la salud
Commited
to Health
Instituto Carso de la Salud
an initiative of the Carlos Slim
Foundation, is investing resources
and talent to help improve the
lives of the population in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
By Alejandra Atilano
To increase the number of people living longer
and better is the main goal of the Instituto
Carso de la Salud (ICS, the Carso Health Institute),
a community group begun in 2007 by
the Carlos Slim Foundation. It was created to
improve the health conditions of thousands
of people in Latin America through programs
that aim, among other goals, to reduce breast
cancer deaths; promote the early detection
of health risks in pregnant women and their
newborns; and timely treat chronic degenerative
illnesses like diabetes. “What we do
is look for solutions to problems in a direct
way...We could say we are an organization
with human feelings in search of innovative
solutions so that more people can live longer
and better,” said Roberto Tapia-Conyer, the
institute’s general director.
To achieve this, ICS has designed and
implemented diverse strategies. It encourages
the creation of human resources and
financial rewards for individuals and institutions
that have distinguished themselves
for their efforts to improve the health of
people, not only in Mexico but also in all of
Latin America and the Caribbean. It has 10
programs, each one designed to impact a
distinct health area. Its annual budget is 25
million usd, which mostly comes from the
Carlos Slim Foundation.
Stimulus for the
development of talent
As part of its strategy to encourage and recognize
actions that increase the well being of
the populations of Mexico, Latin America and
the Caribbean, ICS has since 2008 awarded
the Carlos Slim Health Prize to individuals
and institutions whose work helps improve
the health conditions of people in the region.
One of this prize’s objectives is to stimulate
the creation of leaders whose investigations,
innovations and developments in the
areas of health, nutrition and the environment
promote the well being of the population.
Each prize includes 100,000 usd.
In its first edition, prizes were awarded in
three categories: innovations in health systems;
individual research; and exceptional
institution. In total, 84 nominations from 12
countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
were received and the winners were
Guillermo Soberón Acevedo, from Mexico;
Cesar Gomes Victoria, from Brazil; and the
community group Socios en Salud (Partners
in Health), from Peru.
In 2009, the honors were awarded to
Guillermo Ruiz-Palacios y Santos, from Mexico,
for his remarkable research, and to CIS-
ALVA of Colombia as best institution.
ICS also has a scholarship program
which offers economic and technological assistance
to young students and researchers.
Between 2007 and 2008, 1,318 scholarships
were awarded and projections for 2009 look
to increase that total to 1,659.
In addition, during the 17th International
AIDS Conference, held in Mexico City in August
Help for many
ICS has an annual operating
budget of 25 million usd.
It has donated medical equipment
to hospitals and clinics, benefiting
36,250 pregnant women and
their newborns.
It has awarded 1,318 scholarships
to students and researchers.
It has awarded 500,000 usd in
prizes to support health research
and innovation.
In 2008, it financed a total of 15
research projects in coordination
with other community groups. The
results of these projects have
benefited 122,000 people.
2008, the Carso Health Institute gave awards to
100 community groups that specialize in AIDS
so they could participate in the event.
Working together
ICS is part of the Mesoamerican System of
Public Health, an initiative of the governments
of Mexico, Central America and Colombia
that is working in coordination with
the Carlos Slim Foundation.
“We are participating inside this system
in the creation of the Mesoamerican Institute
of Public Health, a virtual education
platform,” said Tapia-Conyer.
The objective of this project is to strengthen
the health systems of Central American countries
in areas like malaria, dengue fever, immunizations,
prenatal care and nutrition, among
others.
The association also helps students from
Mesoamerican countries with scholarships
to study for a master’s degree or a doctorate
at the National Institute of Public Health in
Mexico. The Carso Institute and the Carlos
Slim Foundation help pay for tuition, air
travel and a monthly stipend of between 650
and 700 usd.
Another of the association’s initiatives is
the Health Observatory, which is made up
of a network of Latin American researchers
who are working to reach a consensus
on what are the most important and common
health issues. The observatory develops
knowledge, guidelines and help for the
health systems of participating countries.
On research matters, ICS looks to align itself
with other community groups to develop diligent
investigative projects. For example, a current
project with autistic children is developing
diagnostic methods to detect the disease.
What the project does is educate teachers,
parents and personnel from schools and
day care centers on how to identify signs of
autism among children so they can receive
attention and treatment on time.
Other investigations under way look to
help the detection of chronic kidney failure,
deafness, blindness and degenerative chronic
illnesses. Projects to improve nutrition in
adults and children are also being developed.
In the two years since its creation, ICS has
helped thousands of people. Its work is now
an important piece in the search for solutions
to health problems that currently exist
in Latin America and the world. n