Page 122 - Libro Memoria Cien Inglés

International scientific collaboration result, WHO has decided to establish
increases more and more, not only a global observatory on dementia to
because of the availability of interna- monitor the prevalence of the condi-
tional funding and the drive of modern tion and resources to care for patients
communication technologies, but also in Member States as well as to track
because science itself has become a the establishment of national plans
truly international collaborative acti- and policies against dementia.
vity. In particular, the scope and scale
of the problem of neurodegenerative There is also a pressing need for glo-
diseases in today's society require a bal participation and a commitment
global response to confront this great to a significant increase in investment
challenge and thus has been recogni- in skills and resources to reduce the
zed by various international institutions duration of these chronic brain patho-
such as the European Union (EU), the logies and/or the number of people
Organization for Economic Coopera- at risk. This budgetary effort should
tion and Development (OECD), the be accompanied by sound policies
World Health Organization (WHO), etc., and legislative initiatives to encourage
and the industrialized countries that public-private partnerships. History
constitute the G8. This global concern has shown that collaboration between
has led to the creation of the World academic
Dementia Council (WDC) with the
aim of collectively spur action
against dementia worldwi-
de in the areas of research,
clinical care and social
awareness.

The leaders of govern-
ments, businesses and
academia also recognize
the need for a coordinated
strategy to address this
major global challenge for
health systems. There is
consensus among all stake-
holders on the need to build
capacities, infrastructures and
R&D resources in the field of
neurodegenerative diseases. As a

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