De nuevo gracias a la comunicación global, y no por los de casa, nos enteramos de un congreso a realizar en Barcelona (24-26 de abril), organizado por la red internacional para la historia de los hospitales, que tratará el tema “Viaje y hospital, del peregrinaje al turismo médico”. Y dado que la información la recibimos del Reino Unido, pues así os la pasamos.
Buen provecho.
Travel and the Hospital From Pilgrimage to Medical Tourism
VIII Abrils de l’Hospital INHH’s 12th International Conference. On the 24-26th April 2019. Barcelona
Medical tourism is an increasingly popular feature of health care today. Yet it is not always recognised that, throughout their history, hospitals have attracted patients from afar seeking cures, both spiritual and physical, not available at home. While much work has previously focused on the institution as a fixed place, often closely associated with a specific locality, the hospital’s role as a focus for a wider network of health needs and health consumers has been largely overlooked. This neglected topic will be the focus of this conference. From its inception the hospital provided care and cure for pilgrims, either en route to, or on their arrival at, shrines, as well as for patients from beyond the urban centre, some from local areas and others travelling great distances to access treatment. These institutions were also distinguished by their architectural and artistic heritage, being decorated with paintings and sculptures, some of which still survive today and depict pilgrims, the poor and the sick. Although many buildings have disappeared or been transformed over time, others remain that reflect their original size and beauty and are important destinations for tourism. Over the centuries major man-made crises such as war have prompted the introduction of many forms of mobile hospital. Among them were the first ambulances, the medical units that travelled with troops on campaign, and the sophisticated network of treatment stations developed by the combatants of the First World War, including hospital trains with more patients than a London teaching institution. Hospitals have also featured at the heart of migration stories – with staff moving around empires and across borders to acquire medical training and to assist a growing body of patients, whose access to hospital medicine has been limited by poverty, race, lack of citizenship, or the unavailability of specialist services locally. In many parts of the world, and especially in areas with limited healthcare infrastructure or widely dispersed population, hospitals came to the patients, with a variety of mobile institutions being developed to serve the sick in Africa, Russia, Central Europe and across Asia. These many activities reflect the variety of topics that can be included in our theme of Travel and the Hospital.
We remind you that, in order to participate in the conference you need to:
1. Pay Partial registration fee: 30€ until the 31st of march of 2019. After this date, the registration fee will be 50€. This registration will grant the right to participate in the conference, take part in the planned tours, the coffee-breaks and two brunches.
2. Pay Full registration fee: 60€ until the 31st of march of 2019. After this same date, the registration fee will be 100€. This registration will also grant the right to attend the conference dinner on the 25th of April.
To formalise the registration, you will have to deposit the appropriate quantity in the following University of Barcelona’s bank account: ES44 2100 3642 16 2200092927 – SWIFT: CAIXESBBXXX
MPORTANT: in the transfer you will have to write the reference “Abrils Hospital 2019 IRCVM” and your full name and, once completed, send the receipt to the e-mail address: abrils.hospital@ub.edu <mailto:abrils.hospital@ub.edu>
Those who need a receipt before doing the transfer send an e-mail to abrils.hospital@ub.edu <mailto:abrils.hospital@ub.edu> .
Looking forward to meeting you all there.
Best wishes,
Sarah Lennard-Brown