Meeting between Ministry of Health and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity associations in Spain
On February 4th 2010 at 12:00h has been held the meeting with Ministry of Health to state the situation of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity sufferers in Spain.
Mr José Martínez Olmos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Mr Alberto Infante Campos, General Director of Professional Planning, Cohesion of SNS and High Inspection and Mr Francisco Valero Bonilla have attended to the meeting representing the Ministry of Health. One person by almost each MCS association has attended to the meeting and also Jaume Cortés, lawyer of Colectivo Ronda, and Dr. Pablo Arnold, immunologist specialized in MCS.
- ACAF: Cristina Montané
- AFCISQUIM: María Roldán
- Alas de Mariposa- SQM: Tránsito Rodríguez
- ALTEA – SQM: Cristobalina Bejarano
- APQUIRA: Mª Carmen Gómez de Bonilla
- AQUA: Mario Arias
- ASQUIFYDE: Francisca Gutiérrez
- AVASFASEM-AVASQ: Francisca García
- ENA: Laura Domínguez
- MERCURIADOS: Mª Carmen Miravete
- Plataforma Estatal Contra la Contaminación Ambiental: Minerva Palomar
- PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional: Elena Navarro
A petitions document done by MCS associations under David Palma coordination has been submitted. This document has been signed by:
- ABAF: Margarita Pascual
- ACAF: Maite Ribera
- AFCISQUIM: María Roldán
- Alas de Mariposa- SQM: Irene Escudero
- ALTEA – SQM: Cristobalina Bejarano
- APQUIRA: Mª Carmen Gómez de Bonilla
- AQUA: Mario Arias
- ASQUIFYDE: Francisca Gutiérrez
- AVASFASEM-AVASQ: Francisca García
- ENA: Rosa de Gabriel
- MERCURIADOS: Servando Pérez
- Plataforma Estatal Contra la Contaminación Ambiental: Minerva Palomar
- PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional: Elena Navarro
- Eva Caballé
Also a copy of Desaparecida: Una vida rota por la Sensibilidad Química Múltiple (Missing: A life broken by Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) has been hand delivered on behalf of Eva Caballé, who couldn’t attend to the meeting, as an example of what MCS sufferers have to go through in Spain.
The meeting with Ministry of Health has meant an agreement on minimum standards by the Ministry, but a big hope for all MCS sufferers.
Representatives of Ministry of Health have committed to contact MCS associations within 2 weeks to jointly agree on experts to form a Scientific Committee to create a document of consensus on the MCS. They have stated that this is the first step to make possible the inclusion of the MCS in ICD-10, i.e. its official recognition as disease in Spain. They have demonstrated that later there would be necessary to start creating the guidelines.
All people who have been part of this process are thrilled by the result of the meeting, because doors have opened us to obtain the recognition of the Multiple Chemical Sensibility in Spain and to achieve that MCS sufferers have the same rights as the other chronically ill people.
Authors: Eva Caballé, David Palma, NoFun, February 4, 2010