Medicus Mundi International was founded on the 8th December 1962 in Aachen, during a meeting between doctors and charitable associations in charge of projects in the Third World.

It may be said that the general aim of this organisation is to promote health, without discrimination, transcending national frontiers and forming part of community development in the countries where it provides its services.

It currently has more than 2,500 co-operators stationed all over the world. It is recognised by the World Health Organisation, taking part in both the technical discussions and in the World Assembly, to which it regularly sends delegates and speakers.

Formed of seven branches - Medicus Mundi Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Germany, as well as other affiliated organisations - it is governed by a General Assembly, which meets once a year, taking turns between the different countries. There also exists a managing committee which meets periodically. As well as the General Secretariat, each branch has its own secretariat which is in contact with the General one.

Whatever its mode of intervention is, Medicus Mundi continues to promote primary health care. Therefore:

it supports the initiatives of local charities in Third World countries which coincide with its objectives;

it joins integrated, overall long-term sanitary programmes and parallel educational programmes;

it relies on the support of native personnel from the country in question and places special importance to their training, so that they can take on total responsibility for the programmes; and

it works in co-operation with the authorities of the country.

Faithful to this spirit, the objective of the national branches is to group together all the doctors, pharmacists and other health professionals, and also anyone else who wants to join the undertaking of co-operating with sanitary objectives in countries considered as under-developed or developing.

In Spain, they have co-operated since 1980 with the General Directorate of International Technical Co-operation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the European Community. They also have, through different delegations, the support of the Spanish Regions and municipalities for specific projects.

They carry on their projects thanks to the contributions of private individuals, as members, in the form of donations, and also receive the support of associations for specific projects.