The person in charge in the most uncertain moments of the covid-19 pandemic
Already retired, Joan Guix continues to teach about the importance of public health and dedicates himself body and soul to his grandson
BarcelonaThe covid-19 pandemic caught the world off guard and, when the virus broke out in Catalonia, Joan Guix (Barcelona, 1950) was the highest authority in public health in the country. He was at the forefront of the health emergency and lived with uncertainty the arrival of a new disease caused by an unknown virus that was fully impacting a health system ill-prepared to face it. An epidemiologist and doctor in preventive medicine and public health, Guix was the number two in the Department of Health during the first months of the crisis, and also the person who represented Catalonia in the meetings of the interterritorial council with the Ministry of Health.
Although he is already retired, he continues to educate about the importance of public health through various collaborations with the media. Of course, now he has time to do everything he is passionate about and that he could not do when he was on the front line of action. "I really like to read, especially topics of history and archaeology, and I am also very interested in Renaissance and Baroque music," explains Guix, who defines himself as a passionate about art. However, he assures that the "job" that takes up most of his time is being a grandfather: "I have a grandson who just turned two and it is the most basic job and the one to which I now dedicate more hours".
Guix was also director of the regional public health service of Catalonia in Camp de Tarragona, manager of the Municipal Institute of Public Health of the Barcelona City Council and the first manager of the Barcelona Public Health Agency.