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
feedback instituto carso de la salud Instituto Carso de la Salud works also in a project with autistic children to develop diagnostic methods to detect the disease