Inauguration of the UB Chair of Legal Medicine, Medical Professional Liability and Clinical Safety

The rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, stressed the importance of the agreement and said that "this chair is evidence of the willingness of some institutions to work together in the field of forensic and legal medicine". "The University of Barcelona, beyond its vocation for training, research and knowledge transfer, is at the service of citizens and it is always ready to improve their wellbeing. This is one of the ways we have to do so", he said.

The director of the Chair, Josep Arimany, professor of the Department of Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB, noted that "the chair is the embodiment of a project that is part of the quadruple-helix model of innovation, integrating the healthcare world (Hospital Clínic), the academic world (UB), the business world (Grupo Med and Relyens) and the professional world (Col·legi de Metges)". "The strategic alliance with the UB and Hospital Clínic is also included in the inspiring principles and values of the Council of Medical Associations of Catalonia", he added.

Josep Maria Campistol, director of the Hospital Clínic, said "this is a very innovative initiative that we have been able to develop thanks to the decisive impetus of all the actors involved”. "The chair is very important because quality and safety of healthcare are key. Every year millions of medical acts are performed in Catalonia that require maximum control and quality", he concluded.

The president of the Col·legi de Metges de Barcelona (college of physicians), Jaume Padrós, emphasized that "this chair responds to one of the functions of the College as a catalyst for collaboration between the academic, professional and business fields”. “One of the main objectives of the chair ―he added―, is to promote patient safety policies and strategies, which translates into an improvement in the quality of medical care”.

Dominique Godet, CEO of Relyens, the health liability insurance company of the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut) and the Council of Medical Associations of Catalonia, has expressed his satisfaction with the creation of this chair linked to the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, which will expand the framework of patient safety and risk management in a hospital of international renown. It will create a community of knowledge that will place the UB, the College of Physicians, Relyens and the medical and management teams of the Hospital Clínic at the forefront of innovation in healthcare on a European scale.

Albert Lluch, CEO of the MeD Group, stressed the importance of "having a tool such as this chair, shared by different national and international public-private entities, to promote research, innovation and knowledge transfer in the healthcare field".

Finally, Antoni Trilla, dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB, said that "it is a great opportunity for the UB to promote this chair, which brings together different top-level stakeholders and will be directed by Josep Arimany, a guarantee of rigorous and continuous work".

The chair aims to contribute to improving the health and quality of life of the population by promoting a better understanding of the medical-legal aspects of healthcare, especially those related to the analysis of medical professional liability and clinical safety.