Since the beginning of the 20th century there had been a number of mutual insurance companies in Spain which provided medical care to their members, but it was not until 1934, with the creation of the first medical mutual in Bilbao, that private healthcare began to develop in Spain. Inspired by this model, in 1957 Dr. Josep Espriu founded a medical mutual in Barcelona, known as Asistencia Sanitaria Colegial.

After a few years in operation, Dr. Espriu set about extending the experience to the rest of Spain. In 1966, he acquired a small clinic, which he named Asistencia Sanitaria Interprovincial Sociedad Anónima, Asisa. Through this company he expanded the insurance model which he had already established in Barcelona, and by 1976, a network of social medical institutions managed by doctors had spread throughout Spain.

In his quest to find a business formula which did not constrain the principles and values of social medicine, Dr. Espriu discovered the cooperative model which enabled doctors and patients to manage these organisations directly.

In 1974, the Scias cooperative was founded, which involved Asistencia Sanitaria policyholders organizing as a users' cooperative. Two years later, Asisa became independent, and the doctors' cooperative Lavinia was created to take over its ownership. In 1978, the Autogestió Sanitària cooperative, formed by the doctors from Asistencia Sanitaria, was created for the same purpose.

The need to coordinate these efforts and further pursue the development of the cooperative model led to the creation in 1983 of the Gabinete de Estudios y Promoción del Cooperativismo Sanitario (Office of Studies and Promotion of Cooperativism), the predecessor of the Espriu Foundation, including the three cooperatives mentioned above.

It was at this time that the desire to learn about the workings of other organisations with similar characteristics outside Spain was a decisive factor in establishing contacts with healthcare cooperatives in Brazil, Japan, Canada and other countries.

In 1989 the Espriu Foundation began its work as a representative of the companies created by Dr. Espriu. A year later it joined the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), which recognised its leadership role in the healthcare sector.

Thanks to Dr. Espriu's efforts, healthcare cooperatives were recognised internationally. Convinced that this model could be an effective solution in order to improve healthcare in developing countries, in 1997 he sponsored the creation of the International Health Co-operatives Organisation (IHCO), in collaboration with organizations from Brazil and Japan.