What is "gefek"

GEFEK, the Association for the Promotion of Independent Disease Control in Developing Countries ("Gesellschaft zur Förderung Eigenständiger Krankheitsbekämpfung in Entwicklungsländern") was created by scientists of the University of Giessen, Germany, in 2004 and is officially registered as a non-profit organisation. The association aims at promoting the exchange of medical knowledge and biomedical technology between industry nations and countries with a low health standard, such as Mongolia, Panama, Bolivia and Yemen.

Infectious diseases are worldwide a major cause of death, especially in developing countries. Next to inexpensive drugs, there is an urgent need for affordable diagnostic methods. Recent progress in biomedical research led to new techniques highly appropriate for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. These new methods are advantageous not only because they lead to results in short time, but also because they are affordable and applicable under conditions of poverty. Major objective of GEFEK is the transfer of this knowledge to scientists in low-income countries and to establish the new technology in a way that it can be performed without help from abroad. The transfer includes information on the theoretical background, the performance of molecular diagnostic methods and the knowledge for the production of the necessary test substances. The self-contained operation of this technology by the affected population is the best guarantee for their sustainable application.

In contrast to other organisations, which provide help directly in crisis regions, the contribution of GEFEK consists in the transfer of basic medical knowledge and technology, in order to help the people in poor countries according to the principle "help to self-help". A lot of health problems are not due in the first instance to a lack of medicines, but rather to the lack of appropriate methods for the diagnosis of the affecting diseases. Frequently, there are no adequate diagnostic methods available which could be used, or the available methods are inaffordable, this means, considerably more expensive than the needed drugs. GEFEK not only teaches physicians and technical personal but also the new scientific generation, i.e. students in medicine and other health-related disciplines.