Maspalomas (Gran Canaria) was the venue chosen for the 53rd National Dermatology Congress of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV), held from May 20 to 23. At this prestigious national scientific event, professionals in these specialties attended scientific sessions, courses, and workshops, as well as visited the exhibition area of participating laboratories and companies.
This year marked the 11th Solidarity Dinner of the AEDV Skin Health Foundation, an event whose aim is to raise funds for dermatology-related charitable projects. During the event, financial support was awarded to selected projects presented in the annual call by NGOs, non-profit organizations, or individuals working to improve dermatological health in various parts of the world.
It was another opportunity for Laboratorios Viñas to demonstrate its commitment to the foundation by sponsoring the Dermatology Cooperation Project Grant. Mariona Buxadé, representing the company, presented the award to Dr. Xavier Miquel Bosch Amate, dermatologist and coordinator of the winning project entitled:
“Consolidation of the Dermatology, Pharmacy and Embarek Fakal·la Pharmaceutical Production Laboratory Project in the Sahrawi refugee camps” in Rabuni, Tindouf (Algeria).
Sahrawi refugee camps
For fifty years, these camps—located in an environment with extremely harsh climatic and living conditions—have hosted refugees who fled the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara when Morocco occupied their country. According to UNHCR data, the population currently stands at 173,600 people.
The population is organized into five settlements or wilayas, which are further divided into neighborhoods or dairas, and they have very limited resources. Each wilaya has a regional hospital and a dispensary in each daira, supported by a military hospital and the National Hospital. Patients who cannot be treated regionally due to lack of human, technical, or material resources are referred to these centers, although they are located in the Rabuni health complex, far from the wilayas.
In recent years, funding allocated to the camps has significantly decreased due to the global context of multiple humanitarian crises competing for the same resources, as well as the protracted nature of a refugee situation that is often overlooked. This reduction in financial support directly affects the capacity of the Sahrawi health system to maintain and expand essential services, with the main challenges being the shortage of medical professionals and difficulties in accessing commercially available medicines.
Collaboration agreement
In 2017, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona signed a collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Public Health of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Medicus Mundi Mediterrània (formerly Medicus Mundi Catalunya) to provide healthcare support to the population living in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf (Algeria).
One of the requested projects was cooperation in dermatology. A system for dermatological consultation and training was established, along with support for the preparation of dermatological medicines at the local pharmaceutical production laboratory “Moh Embarek Fakal·la”, inaugurated in 1996 and considered key to the Sahrawi healthcare system.
The laboratory produces and distributes treatments—both topical and oral—either due to their specificity or because they are unavailable in the camps.
In recent years, Medicus Mundi Mediterrània has sent dermatologists from Hospital Clínic together with pharmacists to treat patients with dermatological conditions. In February 2025, a team of three dermatologists and one pharmacist treated 749 patients. In February 2026, another team of two dermatologists and one pharmacy technician treated 405 patients. In both cases, compounded formulations were prescribed (340 and 204 respectively), and local pharmacy and nursing staff received training.
Objectives to consolidate the project
The winning project aims to continue the work already initiated, both in care and training, through new missions involving dermatologists and pharmacy staff to improve dermatological health among the Sahrawi population.
General objectives
- Improve dermatological health through in-person consultations by dermatologists, prescription of specific treatments, and training of local healthcare staff.
- Increase autonomy and responsiveness in diagnosis and treatment preparation among local healthcare personnel using available resources.
Specific objectives
- Expand dermatological care coverage in the five wilayas and the National Hospital in Rabuni.
- Improve access to specialized treatments through personalized compounded formulations.
- Increase the number of trained local healthcare professionals in dermatological diagnosis and treatment.
- Strengthen the laboratory’s capacity to produce dermatological products safely and efficiently.
- Improve efficiency in remote medical consultations.
The physical presence of the teams (Spanish dermatologists and pharmacists) usually takes place in February, when desert weather conditions allow safe cooperation. The Embarek Fakal·la laboratory, however, operates year-round, coordinated by Medicus Mundi Mediterrània and run by trained local personnel.
Ongoing solidarity collaboration
The AEDV Skin Health Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2007 by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. It currently has 2,800 members, including dermatologists and other healthcare professionals.
Its goal is to promote and support initiatives that improve skin health through research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as through concrete actions.
Laboratorios Viñas has collaborated with the foundation continuously over the past 11 years, supporting the most humanitarian side of dermatology—one of the key areas the company has focused on since its beginnings.
