IFHE NEWS Information-sharing on Mexico City agenda
The 9th meeting of the IFHE Américas Regional Group took place on 5 November last year in Mexico City during the IFHE regional conference hosted there by SMAEs, The Mexican Society of Health Specialized Architects, and AMIESAC (the Asociación Mexicana de Ingenieros Especialistas en Salud) – both organisations involved in healthcare engineering and architecture in Mexico. The meeting was organised by Fábio
Bitencourt, Luciano Monza, Liliana Font, and Briseyda Reséndiz. The Regional Group’s previous eight meetings had taken place in different locations and countries: Buenos Aires (Argentina), The Hague (the Netherlands); Santiago (Chile); Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Lima (Peru); Brisbane (Australia), Rome (Italy), and, in the only such the meeting held ‘virtually’ via ‘Zoom’, Toronto in Canada. Fábio Bitencourt writes:
“Representatives from 11 countries participated, nine specifically from the American continent, in addition to two special guests: Daniela Pedrini, representative of the IFHE Europe Regional Group, and the President of the Malaysian IFHE association, BEAM (the Biomedical Engineering Association Malaysia), Dr. Khairul Azmy Kamaluddin. IFHE President, Steve Rees also took part, expressing his satisfaction in hearing about the Group’s activities, the integration between the participants, and the innovations of their respective national associations. “As agreed in recent preparatory meetings (see HEJ – February 2023), the number of technical groups participating in the Regional Group’s Technical Network for Continuous Functioning (RTFC) – which undertakes research and studies in line with the common interests of the respective entities – has been reduced to four, covering the following: 1 Congresses and seminars 2 Teaching and education. 3 Publications. 4 Sustainability and environmental comfort.
“The Technical Network is made up of a member of each national association, one of whose members is the Coordinator, elected by the respective members. The objective of the four Technical Groups is to share information on its particular focus area, and to obtain and collate information from each national association, the Coordinator of the IFHE Americas Group, and the IFHE Council
26 Health Estate Journal February 2024
Above: Representatives from 11 countries attended November’s IFHE Américas Regional Group meeting in Mexico City, nine specifically from the American continent, alongside ‘special guests’, Daniela Pedrini, Steve Rees, and Dr. Khairul Azmy Kamaluddin. Left: The Group’s new logo.
and ExCo (Executive Committee). Each Technical Group will produce a biannual report on its activities for distribution to members of the national associations that form the IFHE Américas Regional Group. “Also discussed,” Fábio Bitencourt
continued, “was a lecture given by architect, Michele di Marco, a representative from, and the Coordinator of, Téchne – a World Health Organization network of architects, engineers, designers, and public health practitioners drawn from several institutions globally, that ‘responds and prepares to acute public health events with urgent and customised support’. A specialist in disaster risk mitigation, Michele has undertaken notable work in countries where such events have the greatest impact, particularly on the African and Latin American continents. Téchne works closely with IFHE and its respective member countries.” The meeting also saw attendees discuss
upcoming IFHE congresses and other events taking place throughout 2024, with a view to facilitating the organisation of activities, and encouraging greater
participation and integration between associations. The following months were identified for the congresses in each country: March – Sucre, Bolívia. May – La Habana, Cuba. June – Bogotá, Colômbia: Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Colombian Association July – Lima, Peru. August – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. September – Córdoba, Argentina. 15-17 October – Cape Town, South Africa: 28th IFHE Congress (South African Federation of Healthcare Engineering). See
https://sbs.co.za/ifhe2024/ October – Santiago, Chile. October – San José, Costa Rica. November – Ciudad de México, México.
Fábio Bitencourt added: “A new logo for the IFHE Américas Regional Group, and the need for adjustments to the Group’s title – with a new name reflecting its association with the Latin American region – were also presented by architect, Briseyda Reséndiz, who has taken on this piece of work.”
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