Washington DC, 25 January 2024 (PAHO)- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Hospital Federation (IHF) signed a technical cooperation agreement to strengthen hospital management capacity in the region, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The collaboration will focus on three core aims: supporting the development of hospital management competencies; strengthening hospital management, systems, and processes; and advancing the transformation to net zero-, climate resilient and sustainable healthcare.
“PAHO operates on the basis that strong, trusted, and long-term collaboration is key to tackling health challenges in the Americas,” PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa said. “Together with the IHF, we look forward to equipping executives in the region to deliver hospital leadership for tomorrow – services that are innovative, integrated, patient-centred, and anchored in sustainability.”
PAHO, jointly with the IHF, will provide guidance on the restructuring and upgrading of hospitals and on the delivery of specialized care to ensure adequate accessibility for hospital-based services, including emergency, operative, critical, and outpatient care.
Furthermore, the collaboration seeks to expand digital health services within hospitals and associated networks, promoting innovative approaches to enhance healthcare delivery. PAHO and IHF will promote the development of programs for healthcare delivery that strengthen climate resiliency in hospitals and in leadership decisions.
“The health sector is undergoing a period of significant change to adapt to future service needs. Collaborating with peers as an international community enables us to address the global challenges and opportunities we face, working together for improved health outcomes for patients, the healthcare workforce, and the environment,” Dr Muna A. Tahlak, President of the IHF, said.
PAHO will work with the IHF on leadership capacity development and on the provision of training for senior managers and executives within hospitals, in particular in topics such as hospital organization, management, operation and oversight, and in promoting a culture of quality in healthcare delivery.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the IHF is a non-profit global organization that provides its members with a platform for knowledge exchange and networking with different actors in the health sector to improve the standard, quality, and level of service delivery.
PAHO is the specialized health agency of the Inter-American System and serves as the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Americas. It works with countries throughout the region to improve and protect people's health.
