With the blessing of Pope Francis, an ambitious global healthcare project for children has been launched. The initiative, called the Pope's Global Alliance for Children's Health, aims to provide medical care to one million children over the next three years, bringing hope and health care to the neediest areas of the world.
Seed of our future
The Holy Father received in audience the promoters and partners of the project, welcoming them with words that underline its importance: "Children are the seed of our future. With children we can build a new world".
The Alliance was proposed by Mariella Enoc, a leading figure on the Italian and international healthcare scene. President of the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital of Rome until February 2023, has extensive experience in the healthcare sector and a deep dedication to humanitarian causes. His vision and leadership will therefore play a crucial role in the development of this global initiative, given his extensive experience in the management of healthcare facilities and international projects.
For this reason, Pope Francis entrusted the development of the initiative to the U.S. non-profit organization "Patrons of the World's Children Hospital". The work will focus on two main fronts: the creation of a worldwide children's network, a true humanitarian community - which links with the experience of the World Children's Day -and the creation of a network dedicated to the care of children around the world, focusing on specialized support for healthcare workers in the field.
An innovative system
The operational core of the Alliance is based on an innovative system called Hub and Spoke. Hubs are hospitals of excellence that join the initiative around the world, providing specialized expertise and advanced care.
The hubs, on the other hand, are health centers and health points located in areas of the world with a high unmet demand for healthcare. The Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, known as "the Pope's hospital," has been designated the first Hub of this worldwide network, confirming the direct involvement of the Holy See.
The connection between the Hub and the Spoke will be made through a multilingual digital platform, integrated with a telemedicine system: a state-of-the-art technological infrastructure that will enable knowledge sharing and remote technical support, thus overcoming geographical barriers and allowing physicians to collaborate in real time in the care of young patients.
Local spokespersons will have the crucial task of identifying the most urgent pediatric cases and preparing the initial medical and administrative documentation. Two leading international health organizations will coordinate their network: CUAMM (Doctors for Africa) and PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions).
Fabrizio Arengi Bentivoglio, President of Patrons of the World's Children Hospital, stressed the importance of reaching children in less visible areas of the world. "There are hundreds of thousands of children who need help every day in areas that are rarely talked about, for whom there are no protection mechanisms in place," he explained. "These are the first children we want to help," among whom are undoubtedly all those who are suffering the consequences of the war in Ukraine and Gaza or the various natural disasters.
The project involves other relevant organizations in addition to those mentioned above, including companies such as Almaviva and Teladoc Health, but also Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington. Advocacy, fundraising and awareness-raising activities will instead be entrusted to Patrons of the World Children's Hospital.
