Founded by a German businessman, Dr Paul Lechler, in 1906, DIFAEM supported medical missionwork in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Training medical students, missionary doctors and nurses in tropical medicine was at the centre of DIFAEM’s work in the early days. At the same time, the Institute provided medical care for those going to and returning from mission hospitals in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. In 1916, DIFAEM started to operate a small hospital for tropical diseases. The health facility was built on a beautiful mountaintop that provided an ideal surrounding for returning missionaries to recuperate from their service overseas. Today the hospital with about 100 beds serves patients in the area of palliative care, geriatrics and to a much lesser extent, tropical and travel medicine.
Since 1959 DIFAEM has developed its Pharmaceutical Services, initially providing basic supplies for mission hospitals and later developing and strengthening local pharmaceutical services especially in Africa. This led to the development of the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) that operates today in more than 30 countries with church-based drug supply organizations that provide quality pharmaceutical services especially in the African context.
The Consultations of Tübingen I and II in 1964 and 1967 and the subsequent work of the Christian Medical Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) developed basic principles of health and healing ministries that up to this day play an important role in our understanding of health and wholeness. Results of these consultations and the work of the Christian Medical Commission influenced the development of the principles of Primary Health Care in Alma Ata in 1978.
In the 1980s, DIFAEM recognized the importance of HIV and AIDS especially in Africa and started supporting HIV related activities. In 2000 it played a crucial role in the development of “Action against AIDS", a national lobby and advocacy network of Christian and other nongovernmental organizations with the aim to achieving universal access to HIV prevention, antiretroviral treatment, treatment, care and support.
Being a voice for the voiceless has always been an important aspect of the work of DIFAEM. Whether it is the access to essential medicines, especially for the treatment of HIV and AIDS, but also advocating for appropriate support for health-related goals through government and other development partners are at the centre of the lobby and advocacy activities.
