iSA Team
The iSA Project was publicly presented by Son Dureta Hospital on February 26th. The aim of the action is to create an international network of infectious diseases and oncology specialists that will work on the exchange of knowledge, opinions and experience around complex clinical cases through a web platform.
The event took place in the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) with the presence of Antoni Esteva Mestre, General Manager of the Balearic Islands International Cooperation Agency, Luis Carretero, General Manager of Son Dureta Hospital and Jordi Lalucat Jo, UIB Research vice-chancellor. The meeting was also attended by H.E. Mwakai K. SIO, OGW, Kenya ambassador in Spain, Narciso Ntugu Abeso, ambassador of Equatorial Guinea in Spain, César Larraín Tafur, Minister-Counselor of Peru Embassy, and Ana Moreno Díaz- Rubín, consul of Mexico in the Balearic Islands.
This project connects 12 hospitals and institutions of Spain, Peru, Mexico, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya and Sierra Leone and is aligned within the international cooperation policy plan of the Balearic Islands Government, according to Antoni Esteva, who indicated that “new technologies must help to guarantee the healthcare right, an essential factor of life quality in these countries”.
Luis Carretero, Jordi Lalucat Jo, Javier Martín and Antoni Esteva Mestre
Luis Carretero stated that these new technologies “are radically changing the way of providing healthcare services” and remarked that the Balearic Islands are at the forefront in terms of healthcare information systems innovation. “We are proud of Son Dureta’s leading role in such an important project that will offer healthcare improvement opportunities in other countries”, he said.
The iSA Project
The iSA Project is funded by the European Union with a 779,000-euro grant coming from the 7th Framework Programme (FP7). For the first time a mallorquinian institution acts as coordinator receiving funds from this prestigious and demanding European program dedicated to research.
Son Dureta Hospital involves a total of 15 specialists in infections and oncology diseases (in children and adults) including medical oncologists, pathologists and experts in tropical diseases. The program, to be launched in March 2010, will allow the exchange of digital medical images, videos and reports to improve the diagnosis of complex cases with high academic interest.
The iSA network will analyze and study many cases that cannot be solved in the hospitals of origin as they require an expert second opinion. The program will focus on infectious and oncology diseases, two of the most prevalent and mortal pathology groups in Latin America and Africa. The project could identify endemic pathologies such as cervical cancer in some territories of Latin America or certain specific infectious diseases.
The duration of this program is 30 months, although the medical team of iSA, coordinated by Patricio Ledesma and led by Son Dureta’s medical oncologist Javier Martín, look forward to achieving a sustainable interconsultation model in order to build links from national centers of reference to regional hospitals. This work aims to achieve equity ensuring access to expert opinions by patients living in remote regions. “We are committed to patient benefit and a constant attitude of improvement” said Javier Martín.
