Zaragoza imposes on Barcelona to be the headquarters of the State Agency for Public Health

BarcelonaBarcelona will not be the headquarters of the State Public Health Agency (AESP). The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Tuesday that Zaragoza will host this newly created body, which aims to become the reference point for coordination in the face of future health crises like the one experienced during the covid-19 pandemic. Sánchez justified the choice by stating that it is part of the "decentralization process" of public bodies that his executive is leading, as has already been seen with the Spanish Space Agency in Seville or the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA), in A Coruña.

Up to eight cities, including Barcelona, wanted to host this body that falls under the Ministry of Health. "I believe this is a new example of what it means to bet on territorial cohesion in our country," Sánchez assured. Among the cities that had taken the step of applying to become the headquarters of this new body were Toledo, Granada, Murcia, León, Oviedo, Lugo, and Barcelona.

In fact, the city council of the Catalan capital had planned for this body to be installed in the Ramon Llull building, located on the grounds of the Industrial School, a building declared a national heritage site and currently disused which, according to the municipal government, is very well connected by public transport and is located in an emblematic space of the city, in the Eixample. Specifically, the City Council highlighted that the space is close to Sants station, which guarantees connection with high-speed trains and El Prat airport. Finally, however, Zaragoza's bid has convinced the Spanish government the most.

The AESAP is a strategic body that was born from experiences such as the COVID-19 pandemic and recommendations from international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) or the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to address responses with guarantees in the current context of climate change and its impact on health, as well as new emerging diseases, according to the Spanish government.

In fact, the general public health law established its creation since 2011, taking into account that Spain is a state in which health competencies are transferred. In the health field, a lack of data and coordination can hinder the containment of infections and the work of health professionals. According to the state executive, the AESP must serve to have a strong epidemiological surveillance system, capable of tracing many cases and identifying possible threats. The more and better information is available – and if the criteria for collecting data are unified for all territories – the easier it will be to anticipate pathogens and emerging diseases.