Ricardo Martino Alba , Head of the Paediatric Palliative Care Section at the Niño Jesús University Children's Hospital in Madrid and founder and vice-president of the Fundación porqueViven , has been awarded the ARCANO Social Entrepreneur Award 2021, which is jointly organized by the financial advisory firm and Ashoka Foundation .
As a paediatrician, Ricardo Martino has implemented a Comprehensive Pediatric Palliative Care System , which, since 2008, has been providing care to all children who require it, having already benefited more than 1,000 children and adolescents . Its vision is that all children with incurable clinical situations or with the possibility of death receive the best possible assistance, accompanying them not only medically but also in the psychological process both themselves and their families. And all this does not stop here, Ricardo Martino has also contributed to the development of this care in other Autonomous Communities and in other countries.
"After the coronavirus crisis, we believe that there is unanimity on certain challenges of the national agenda and the Strengthening the health system is one of them. At Ashoka, we want to row together with society in that direction. Social entrepreneurs like Martino are key in the health sector, as they seek a systemic impact and not a one-off one."
Alexandra Mitjans, Director of Ashoka Spain
Through the granting of this award, Arcane undertakes to support the awardee in Strategic and financial advice , as well as making available to them their network of contacts for the construction of "Casa Betania", the first paediatric palliative care centre in Spain. The Fundación porqueViven wants to create the first "children hospice" in Spain, a comprehensive pediatric palliative care center, which ensures the necessary care for patients in the environment of a "home home" and that allows providing periods of respite for families. Thanks to the generosity of the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity, we have the ground where this dream will be built to be the seed of the appearance of other palliative care homes in our country.
The project Hospice CASA BETANIA is part of the great project " CITY porqueViven ", since the initial idea is to have several buildings with different services that make up a wide range of social and health care centres.
"In this special year, we are more aware than ever of the incalculable value of a Quality health care and the importance of closeness when offering care, especially in the most difficult moments. The social entrepreneurship of Fundación PORQUEVIVEN has a Real impact on society and its possibility of it being scalable to other regions only increases its potential. It is a well-deserved award" .
Álvaro de Remedios, president of Arcano
#CuidadosPaliativosPediátricos #HospiceCasaBetania #CiudadPORQUEVIVEN
PORQUEVIVEN Foundation. 2021.
