History has more imagination than human beings, and the pandemic proves it

It was there, at the end of the year 2000, when the United Nations launched, for the first time, the so-called Global Compact or Global Compact as an instrument for aligning the operations and strategies of companies around ten universal principles.

These pivot on the human rights, work environment, environmental protection and the fight against corruption in order to promote balanced and sustainable development in the world.

In the absence of a generalized international response and commitment during the first years of the 21st century, the United Nations redoubled its efforts. In 2015, it promoted the so-called Sustainable Development Goals (ODS); 17 objectives, each of them with specific goals that should be achieved in the next 15 years, taking the year 2030 as the horizon.

This initiative has a very relevant depth and takes on special value in these moments in which we are going through a health crisis, which is shaking the pillars on which the economy of the entire planet is based.

The pandemic has put the most developed economies in check, all-powerful and apparently invulnerable to natural events. But it has also put its most special accent on those countries in which resources are even scarcer.

Globalization, the ease with which goods, people and information circulate, has its pros, but as we have seen in this pandemic also its cons.

If we do not want to be victims of the consequences of our own evolution, we must bear in mind that the consequences of our actions in environmental, social, economic and good governance terms – fundamental axes of social responsibility – affect us globally. They can certainly ruin our society, habitat and way of life.

The pandemic has highlighted the importance of moving towards more accessible healthcare systems for everyone. As we have been able to suffer, they do not respect borders, and their containment, through generalized vaccination, is necessary to eradicate it.

Although we can also see evidence that highlights the need to go towards a general improvement in living conditions from all over the planet. There are unfortunately everyday examples such as natural disasters, -the result of global warming-, and the greenhouse effect.

They are obvious consequences of atmospheric pollution, which devastate territories, take countless human lives and delve into the phenomenon of poverty.

Among the most inspiring phrases of Stephen Hawking, there is one in which he reflects on the potential of the human being when determining in one way or another his own self-destruction. He said that “the danger lies in the fact that our power to damage or destroy the environment, or our neighbor, increases much faster than our wisdom in the use of that power. “

Karl Marx, almost as a premonitory stated that “history has more imagination than human beings and always has some unexpected twist”. I think the misfortunes that we are accumulating are serious enough not to play Russian roulette with nature.

Humanity, in just over a century, has consumed more resources than in its entire history. And demand continues to grow at a dizzying rate.

This level of resource consumption determines a growing environmental impact, notable asymmetries, and deep inequalities in the social sphere. All this is the substrate of an evident impact on people’s health and quality of life.

The details illustrated in these brief paragraphs show the strategic relevance of each of the SDGs, promoted by the United Nations, designed for all humanity.

In fact, no organization or person should feel exempt and on the sidelines of getting involved and committing to these objectives in any of its seventeen statements.

The United Nations stresses that “to achieve these goals, everyone has to do their part, governments, the private sector, civil society and people.”

From this conviction, from private health and from the IDIS Foundation specifically, we put our grain of sand so that together we can face the great economic, social and environmental challenges that we face.

Our intention, as a healthcare organization, is to be able to carry out initiatives focused on patients, professionals and society as a whole through our activity.

We work with the intention of having a sufficient, viable, equitable, accessible and well-ordered health system. Also in a spirit of open collaboration and networking of all the agents involved, regardless of the ownership in which they carry out their activity (public or private).

At the level of health and well-being, referring to SDG 3, the entities of the health sector grouped in the IDIS Foundation are highly committed to research. But also with the treatment and technology development for progress in curing diseases and improving quality of life.

Private entrepreneurship in health is at the forefront when it comes to gender equality (SDG 5), since it has the highest rates of female presence in management positions and with a very high presence of women on the staff.

The total number of women working in the health sector is predominant, in addition to a very notable form on that of men. In fact, more than 70% (7 out of 10) are women, compared to approximately 30% men.

Likewise, this sector is committed to SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure). The IDIS Foundation works, -with its members-, through open days and through interdisciplinary internal committees to incorporate initiatives that provide added value through collaboration formulas.

Finally, the collaboration of the private health sector with institutions, associations, business organizations and other entities, both public and private, to create partnerships to achieve the goals (SDG 17).

In conclusion, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is moving forward. We are in the decade of action, according to the United Nations, that is why together we must be able to generate a legacy of sufficient sustainability for future generations. A heritage that happens because the center of all attention is the people and the habitat in which we live and develop.

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