CAREMED is a 36-month initiative tackling the Mediterranean’s growing burden of chronic diseases by piloting community-based, people-centred solutions and strengthening primary healthcare across five countries.
The CAREMED project (Community-based Approach for Resilient Mediterranean Health) has officially started, marking a new step in strengthening primary and community-based healthcare systems across the Mediterranean region.
Co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, CAREMED is a 36-month initiative addressing one of the regions most pressing health challenges: the growing burden of chronic diseases and the need for more coordinated, people-centred care models.
Across Mediterranean countries, health systems are under increasing pressure to respond to long-term and complex health needs. While chronic conditions require prevention, patient engagement, and continuous follow-up, care delivery often remains fragmented and largely hospital-oriented. Primary care plays a crucial role in tackling these challenges, yet it is frequently under-resourced and insufficiently integrated with other levels of care.
CAREMED responds to this gap by focusing on community-based solutions that strengthen prevention, early detection and continuity of care close to where people live. Rather than promoting a single, standardised model, CAREMED functions as a cooperation platform where Mediterrenean healthcare actors jointly develop and test approaches that can be adapted to different national and local contexts. The project is coordinated by Meyer University Hospital (Italy) and brings together public health authorities and academic institutions from Spain, Tunisia, Lebanon and Trkiye, with the support of a wider network of associated partners.
Project activities combine joint analysis with pilot actions in 34 Primary Health Centres across participating countries. Existing care pathways will be reviewed to identify gaps and define shared approaches for strengthening chronic care management in community settings.
CAREMED is now entering its implementation phase. In the coming months, partners will initiate capacity-building activities, roll out pilot actions at local level and establish monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess their impact. The evidence generated will feed into policy-oriented outputs and contribute to dialogue with decision-makers at both local and national level, supporting the broader goal of reinforcing resilient and sustainable health systems across the Mediterranean.
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