The Council of the International Federation of Hospital Engineering at their meeting in Davos, Switzerland in June 1989 asked the Executive Committee to consider the production of a booklet marking the 20th. anniversary of the formation of the Federation covering its history; its birth, development, activities etc. The Executive Committee needed to consider the content and the extent it might be used to publicise the Federation.
At Their meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus in June 1991 Council accepted the Executive Committee’s view that such a booklet is unlikely to be of interest to the general public and that the financial risk in producing a large number of printed books with this in mind would be too great.
The Council then accepted the Executive Committee’s recommendation that a document be produced in the form of an internal report to members of Council, from which other publicity and historical papers could be prepared. It would also give each individual member of Council, on appointment, his own source book about the Federation. It was agreed to include selections from the Federation’s archives.
The booklet consists of a summary of all the Council minutes recorded from 1970 to 1992 recording the main recommendations which have contributed to the development of the Federation. It includes the current version of the Statute, a further summary of decisions arranged under subject headings for easy reference when a particular topic is raised in the future. Appendices are included listing the ‘A’ Members, a record of Council and Executive Committee meetings, the names of Past Presidents, General Secretaries, Treasurers and Vice Secretaries. The dates and venues of all the past International Congresses of Hospital Engineering are given and all the current and past members of the LFIIE Council are listed.
I am pleased to have had the opportunity to research the archives and to read all the Minutes again. It brought back memories of the early meetings when only six countries were represented on Council and of the many friendships made over the years of IFHE,s development. I hope Council members will find this useful as a reference book and that others will continue to preserve IFHE’ s records and add to the booklet from time to time.
Basil Hermon
CBE
Oxford
United Kingdom
February 1994