Solidarity and experiences at the virtual assembly of the IHCO

On the 28th of October, delegates from eleven countries  took part in the annual assembly of the International Health Cooperatives Organisation, IHCO, which is currently being led by the Fundación Espriu This time, owing to the pandemic, the meeting was held by video conference. 

During his intervention, Dr. Carlos Zarco, who has presided over the organisation since 2017, emphasised the incredible difficulties the healthcare sector has had to face up to this year all over the world. However, he recalled that for many years cooperativism has shown its capacity to overcome crises and added that “the current context of transformation provides cooperatives with new expansion opportunities in the field of health.”

The participants in the assembly transmitted a message of solidarity to all those affected by Covid-19 and they expressed “their maximum recognition to all the healthcare professionals who have been concentrating all their efforts, commitment and dedication for many months to fighting the healthcare emergency created by the pandemic.”

The diversity of organisations that make up the IHCO conferred special interest to the exchange of experiences. The executives from these companies presented the different strategies that have been designed to face up to the pandemic, as well as the lessons learned in healthcare management in view of the sudden increase in demand for services.  

Action plan for 2021

The organisation will concentrate on making people aware of the most important contributions that the cooperative company model can bring to health systems, at the same time as making inter-cooperation amongst the associates easier. The international organism will also work on becoming a platform of knowledge devoted to compiling, producing and sharing information about the cooperative healthcare model.