Health for all worldwide and a Switzerland that advocates the right to health. We, the Medicus Mundi Network Switzerland, are giving ourselves this strategy to strengthen the member organisations and Switzerland as a whole in their commitment to the right to health worldwide.

Photo: © MMS

We, the Medicus Mundi Network Switzerland, are providing this strategy to strengthen the member organisations and Switzerland as a whole in their commitment to the right to health worldwide. In the spirit of the UN sustainability goals, we emphasise that this can only succeed if cooperation for health for all is approached beyond the narrow confines of the health sector. The commitment to good quality basic health care requires working for the right to health in all policies and for the improvement of health determinants.

Our Vision

Health for all worldwide and a Switzerland that advocates for the right to health

Our vision is for a world in which everyone can live in a healthy environment and has access to adequate healthcare. A world where nobody is left behind. We believe this vision can be achieved within a generation because we already have the knowledge and the means at our disposal. Switzerland has a pioneering role to play in the push for the right to health nationally and worldwide.

Our Mission

Networking and cooperation between Swiss stakeholders to ensure a continuous improvement in the quality of international health cooperation and a credible commitment by Switzerland to global health

Supported by members of civil society and science, the Medicus Mundi Switzerland (MMS) network brings together organisations and institutions that work in international health cooperation and have an influence on global health. MMS supports its member organisations in adapting to complex environments and improving the quality of their work.

The network utilises the shared knowledge and collective voice of its member organisations in dialogue with decision-makers to strengthen Switzerland’s commitment to global health and ensure that the country fulfils its responsibilities.

Our Topics

Various trends affect the right to health and access to good quality healthcare.

Globalisation and digitalisation, demographic developments and migration, wars, conflicts and climate change. MMS addresses such trends across the board via its various strategic work areas. In the spirit of the UN Agenda 2030, the network takes a multi-sectoral approach in its collaboration with its member organisations and external partners.

MMS focuses on the role played by Switzerland in global health, and the global shortage of health workers. In the health sector, MMS concentrates on issues including sexual and reproductive health and associated rights as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases. In addition, the network addresses other existing and emerging topics relevant to the health of populations worldwide. Our annual areas of focus are determined by the MMS members.

Our Impact Goals

1. Concerted action and collaboration between member organisations and emerging stakeholders within and beyond the health sector

MMS member organisations work with each other and with emerging stakeholders within and beyond international health cooperation and global health. These collaborations aim to strengthen communication and to incorporate the perspectives of new generations and inspiring approaches to solving challenges in international health cooperation.

2. Creating shared knowledge for Switzerland’s international health cooperation that is responsive to a changing environment

MMS member organisations learn with and from each other within the network and build on fact-based knowledge. This enables Switzerland’s international health cooperation to improve the practice and impact of international health cooperation worldwide and ensures that our member organisations are responsive to a constantly changing environment.

3. Establishing in an open dialogue with all decision-makers the awareness and understanding that health for all is a realistic goal

Decision-makers should take informed and fact-based decisions on issues affecting international health cooperation and global health. To this end, MMS mobilises the expertise of its member organisations and engages in open dialogue with everyone, including stakeholders who have little appreciation of the issues relevant to global health. Through its work, MMS establishes the right to health more broadly and works to ensure that the importance of health for all is widely recognised as a realistic goal.

The detailed version of the MMS Strategy 2024-27 can be found as pdf here.