MADRID EXCHANGE: Proposals and Courses of Action
Humanization of Healthcare and Access to Quality Care

21-24 April 2016

Centro de Humanización de la Salud

Tres Cantos, Madrid

The meeting of the directors of the Camillian pastoral/ humanization centers, universities, Camillianum and the Camillian physicians organized by the General Secretariat for Ministry was attended by 33 Camillian religious and lay collaborators – 9 from Asia, 9 from the Americas, 8 from the Africas and the rest from Europe. They represented the 13 pastoral/humanization centers (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, USA, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Italy, Spain, India, Thailand, Philippines), 2 universities (Rome and Sao Paolo), 2 nursing schools (Taiwan and Ouagadougou), and the 8 Camillian physicians (Chile, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Benin, Kenya, Philippines).

The meeting was guided and animated by the three lectures given by Fr. Angelo Brusco, Fr. Samuel Cuarto and Dr. Palma Sgreccia and the group discussion and reflection (3) from those conferences. In addition, all of the program directors of the centers have made a presentation of their program, activities, and challenges.

At the end of the meeting, the following proposals and courses of action coming from the various group reflection are hereby presented as follows:

• What Camillianum can offer to the pastoral centers?
  1. An annual conference on a specific theme;
  2. An open database of books available and translation of books;
  3. Weeklong courses on current themes/ issues on health.
  4. Create a non-official collaboration (coventional) between Camillianum and the Centers (“maternal” closeness of Camillianum to the peripehries).

• What can the Pastoral Centres can give to Camillianum?
  1. Send people (religious or non) to study at Camillianum.
  2. Assist its transformation from theory to practice.
  3. Facilitate meetings among professors of the different centers.
  4. Create a central commission that coordinates the different centers in terms of studies and programs.

• What type of cooperation and coordination among the Centers?
  1. Organize meetings among the Centers, like this one, in order to know, to learn, and to exchange experiences at least at the continental level.
  2. Developed Centres will assist the developing ones (twinning).
  3. Facilitate exchange of educational resources between centers in view of reciprocity and growth in the formation of the Order, vaòuing the strengths and the excellence of each center.

• Others?
  1. The central government of the Order reinforces the peripheral centers.
  2. Create collaboration between the Centers of learning and the places of Camillian ministry like in Tres Cantos.
  3. Hold the next meeting in a place where there is a good model of formation and practice as we did.
  4. Improve the interdisciplinarity of courses and academic standard in the Centers.
  5. Be more sensitive to culture.

These proposals will be entrusted to a coordinating body  in order to evaluate and to implement it with constancy and determination but not excessive but realistic and practical for the sake of the Order’s progress in this important field of a specific Camillian formation.

This meeting of the Camillian pastoral centers was an event of great cultural and human depths which was made possible through the participation, the contributions of the speakers, the logistics and the sense of fraternity shared during the light moments of Saturday and the Sunday trip to Salamanca. Moreover, the rich intercultural exchange of the four continents was indeed priceless. It allows you to experience the catholicity of the Church and sense of belonging to the Mystical Body with great intensity. We thank all those who made it happened and to those who will walk with us by cultivating the seeds that have been sown in this encounter.