The Virtual Health Library was created in 1998, thanks to the advance in the adoption of the Internet in the region.
The Latin American and Caribbean Center for Health Sciences Information (BIREME), of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has a technical cooperation program, of which the Virtual Health Library (VHL) stands out, which this 2022 , is celebrating its 24th anniversary.
The mission of the VHL is to facilitate access to information and scientific evidence for health professionals in the region of the Americas. “The VHL is an information management model based on collaborative and network work, applied to the creation, organization and dissemination of information and scientific and technical evidence in health made available to users online through the 67 portals of active instances of the VHL”, they explain in the 2020 Guide for the development of the Virtual Health Library.
After its foundation in 1998, the VHL laid its foundations during the IV Regional Congress on Health Sciences Information (CRICS4), in which the starting framework for the VHL was established through the Declaration of Costa Rica.
The VHL network is currently made up of 67 national institutions and organizations that follow the same VHL model, which promotes collaborative work.
One of the most recent success stories happened in Brazil, because in August 2021, the 20th anniversary of the Brazilian Ministry of Health (BVS MS) was celebrated. This initiative provides free access to the entire collection of the Ministry of Health, which includes books, health campaigns, magazines, scientific articles, multimedia materials, as well as access to institutional, national and international scientific databases.
BIREME and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation manage 11 VHL in Brazil, with detailed information on specific topics such as cultural heritage of health, bioethics, infectious diseases, social thought, health of indigenous peoples, education for health professionals, among others.
In the rest of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, the work of the VHL is promoted by the Health Information Networks, which seek democratization in the access and visibility of scientific knowledge in the countries of the region. Currently the VHL has projects in Honduras, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Panama, Colombia, Peru and Argentina.
Get to know more projects and initiatives of the VHL:
VHL International Nursing: https://bvsenfermeria.bvsalud.org/
VHL Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicines (MTCI) Americas: https://mtci.bvsalud.org/
