Background

During the late 1990’s a group of healthcare professionals shared the view that the significant impact from bone and joint disorders on society, the healthcare system and the individual, needed to be addressed on an international level with particular focus on the use of resources. A Consensus document and plan for continued work led to the Bone and Joint Decade was formally launched at the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland on January 13, 2000 and ran until the end of the decade.

Following the decade there was still much work to be done so the Bone and Joint Decade was transitioned into the Global Alliance of Musculoskeletal Health. This organizations continued with its mandate to work to improve the health-related quality of life for people with musculoskeletal conditions throughout the world by raising awareness and promoting positive actions to combat the suffering and costs to society associated with musculoskeletal disorders.

Recognising that no one single organisation alone could accomplish the desired benefits for the patient or their families, G-MUSC is a multi- disciplinary, global organisation with outreach to a network of organizations and individuals interested in implementing and promoting initiatives in all parts of the world.

Goals

The goals of the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health (G-MUSC) are central to raising recognition of the importance of musculoskeletal conditions at global, regional and national levels by:

• raising awareness of the burden of musculoskeletal conditions
• developing sustainable networks
• increasing knowledge of the suffering and costs of musculoskeletal conditions
• empowering people to prioritise their own care
• improving access to cost-effective prevention and treatment
• increasing research into musculoskeletal disorders, prevention and treatment
• providing access to supportive information