Helping healthcare in Latin America
The EU has made it a priority to help developing regions around the world in the field of health. The EU-funded project 'ALCUE health and quality of life platform' (Alcuehealth) aimed to improve public health in the LAC region through investigative work, training programmes and workshops. It brought experts from both sides of the Atlantic to transform the knowledge that emerged from the project into public health policies and practices. A management committee with representatives from Brazil, Cuba, Greece, Mexico, the Netherlands and Portugal organised six workshops that brought together researchers, experts, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), policymakers and academia. The project also established a website for use by LAC institutions to disseminate information on the workshops, encourage global cooperation and promote the work of researchers among other initiatives. Overall, the project advanced knowledge on issues such as social determinants and primary healthcare, as well as on emerging diseases. It involved stakeholders from different sectors and furthered research and technological development (RTD) through its several workshops. Alcuehealth also recommended linking with organisations beyond the EU and LAC structures such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). Moreover, the project called for encouraging staff mobility and expert exchanges between the LAC region and the EU. It sought to support funding to attendees of its workshops and advance training for young researchers. All these initiatives have contributed to advancing healthcare in LAC and opening avenues for further cooperation, raising the standard of living and increasing well-being in the region into the future.