HEALTH

The AECID promotes global health as a fundamental human right and as a strategic pillar of Spanish cooperation for sustainable development, aligning its work with the 2030 Agenda and SDG 3 “Good Health and Well-being”. This approach places it at the center of international health cooperation, humanitarian action, and the strengthening of health systems in partner countries, with the goal of leaving no one behind.

Health as a Right

The 2030 Agenda recognizes health as an inalienable right of every human being and establishes, through SDG 3, a framework for action with specific targets on maternal and child mortality, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, substance use disorders, road safety, air quality, and universal access to essential health services. 

The AECID maintains that without a guaranteed right to health, development is impossible, and it focuses its work on two main objectives: saving lives and strengthening public health systems so that they are capable of preventing diseases, responding to health emergencies, and ensuring equitable, high-quality health services throughout the entire life cycle.

Strengthening Health Systems and Universal Health Coverage

A central pillar of international health cooperation promoted by the AECID is the strengthening of partner countries National Health Systems and Services, with the aim of advancing toward universal health coverage. This means supporting resilient health systems that provide quality care at both the primary care and specialized levels, with a focus on equity, gender, and human rights.

Spanish Cooperation works through technical cooperation, institutional support, and capacity building, for example, through the Specialized Medical and Health Training Program, which increases the availability of qualified health professionals in public health systems. These types of interventions enable partner countries to improve their health management, planning capacity, and service delivery, integrating health into their sustainable development strategies.

Global Health, Preparedness, and Response to Health Emergencies 

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of health as a global public good essential to global health security and tested the resilience of health systems, healthcare workers, and supply chains for personal protective equipment, medicines, and vaccines. In this context, Spanish health cooperation and the AECID are participating in the renewal of the global health architecture, supporting international coordination for the prevention, preparedness, and response to health emergencies and public health crises.

This includes support for the World Health Organization and other key multilateral actors in the fight against pandemics and endemic diseases such as HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected diseases. It also involves backing research, innovation, and R&D initiatives in global health aimed at solutions based on global public goods, with equitable access for low- and middle-income countries.

Humanitarian Action in Health: START and the Protection of Rights

In the field of humanitarian action in health, Spanish Cooperation provides financial and technical support to both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for their Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Initiative. Furthermore, as part of the so-called START (Spanish Technical Aid Response Team) response, AECID has two of these emergency medical teams: one at Level 1, comparable to a primary care center, and another at Level 2 with surgical, maternity, and hospitalization capacity for up to 20 beds. These hospitals are characterized by their rapid deployment and are mobilized at the request of affected countries in contexts of crises, disasters, and health emergencies. The START response, which also includes a medical oxygen generation plant, strengthens immediate response capacity, supports local health systems when they are overwhelmed, and ensures essential medical care for the affected population.

In addition to clinical care, the AECID integrates sexual and reproductive health into its humanitarian interventions, ensuring that affected populations have access to family planning services, care during pregnancy and childbirth, and safe postpartum care. Prevention of and response to gender-based violence in humanitarian contexts is equally a priority: healthcare services, psychosocial support, and safe referrals are provided, incorporating a gender perspective, protection, and human rights across all programs.