Waisenmedizin-D e. V. and Waisenmedizin-CH
Promoting Access to Care with Essential Medicine (PACEM)
Both affiliated NGOs are small organizations with great objectives based on the European Charter stipulating the human right to protection of health, social security as well as social and medical assistance.
Founded on May 19th, 2000 WM-D e.V. has meanwhile deployed numerous patient orientated missions in the sector of Neglected Diseases, abandoned or “orphaned” by profit-orientated industrial R&D in Europe and countries of the Mediterranean-North African (MENA) region such as Afghanistan (from 2002 – 2014), Pakistan (2006), Algeria (since 2013 ongoing), Iran (2014) and Syria (2016 ongoing). The name Waisenmedizin refers to the term orphaned medicine (Ger. verwaiste Medizin).
Whenever possible, our goal is to publish our clinical results in scientific open access journals, motivating junior researchers, doctoral students, medical personnel from underdeveloped countries to extend their scientific education and medical training.
PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) in Seattle concentrates on preventive medicine and DNDi (Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative) in Geneva on pharmaceutical curative medicine. They have similar annual budgets of 330 million USD (as of 2012) and 350 million EUR (as of 2015) respectively. WM e. V. focuses on a medical device to be used for cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds and had a small budget of 48.000 € in 2016, approximately 0.014% of the afore-mentioned NGOs.
WM e.V. is the first German therapeutic-purpose enterprise recognized by the German Tax Authorities as non-profit and exempted from all taxes except 7% VAT above 17,500 EU annual revenue („Zweckbetrieb”).
Currently, WM e. V. has seventeen active members, with a long and outstanding professional background in their respective fields. Our members are predominantly physicians and pharmacists, but also chemists, lawyers, economists, clergymen, scientists as well as students. We welcome those who cherish the idea that the main purpose of drugs and medical devices should lie in the patients’ interests.
In 2013, the orphan medicine idea “promoting access to care with essential medicine” (PACEM) spread to Switzerland, where we now have a sister NGO, Waisenmedizin-CH helping us strengthen peace (lat. pax) in societies.
The basis on which WM-D e. V. and WM-CH stand for is reflected in our French and German charters. You can download them here: