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A VISION IN CONSTANT RENEWAL

April 03 2022
Mauren esquivel

Interview with Prof. Álvaro Salas

Álvaro Salas in medical, former president of the Social Security Fund and member of the Board of Directors of CAHI. He has a Master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, as well as studies in Health Services Administration and Planning at the University of Leeds.

He also teaches relevant content during the first module of the CAHI Fellows program, which was precisely the context of the interview.

His journey with CAHI is extensive, from the origin of the organization How has that journey been from the beginning to the present moment?

Alvaro: My first contact with CAHI was through its founder and current president of the board of directors, Robert Jeffe, who traveled to Costa Rica in a process of identifying allies and potential candidates to start the program. What he proposed to me was the project of training human resources with the best health project management tools. That is how I began to get involved and I was part of that initial group with which we began to see the possibilities, to visualize everything that could be done, priority areas for projects in Central America. Already at that time we realized that the challenge would be great and we began to have clarity about the profile of leaders that was required to be able to address these challenges in the area of ​​health.

This is how we moved towards the first generation of CAHI Fellows, which from the beginning was a mixed group, combining the presence of NGOs, community groups, as well as doctors, directors of health centers, and nursing staff. I remember many special projects from these early years, such as one in El Salvador that consisted of the development of a bracelet that, with different colored pieces, served as a reminder for kidney patients to maintain care habits: a white ball to avoid salt, two blue balls for water consumption, and so on; a very creative project.

This process of evolution has brought us to this sixth generation of social leaders, and our vision is that new leaders join each year, because without a doubt at CAHI we are contributing to the development of creative ideas that improve people's quality of life. There are already more than 100 members in the CAHI Fellows network.

In his role as professor of the CAHI Fellows Program What is the value that you come to contribute to the groups?

Alvaro: The program is focused on the management of health projects, so it has elements such as innovation, leadership, management, etc. Today I come to address the issue of health systems in Central America, to offer the CAHI Fellows a perspective and a base that allows them to continue researching and seeking more information, to give context to their projects, to generate a dialogue that allows us to understand the situation in each country.

My intention is that they can better focus the connection of their projects with prevention, rehabilitation, disease care processes; this way they will know better where to locate themselves, what their priorities would be, or confirm what they are already developing. Today we will be working on locating ourselves in the social and economic context, as well as on the origin of the economic systems of their countries.

The idea is to empower these leaders so that they can carry out relevant projects with their resources. We have examples to show you, CAHI Fellows projects from other generations, which we present to motivate you and make you realize all the potential here.

How do you perceive the CAHI work model?

Alvaro: I feel that CAHI has been taking shape as a group of close people who share a vision. Those of us on the Board of Directors see each other frequently, we are constantly communicating to stay aligned and drive the organization and the CAHI Fellows forward. I think this commitment to working with young people with significant projects and such high management capacity is a success. I learn with them and I also feel part of this regional network, it is the contact with them that keeps us up to date on what is happening in each country, on the progress of the projects, the connections that are being produced between them . CAHI is an extraordinary organization with a constantly renewed vision.