Cross Straits General Practice Society meets in China
President elect Dr Donald Li attended the 5th Cross Straits General Practice Society as officiating guest 30th March - 1st April 2018 in Nanning, China. The theme of the conference was “A New Era of General Practitioners”. The conference was attended by over 2500 general practitioners and other VIPs were WONCA APR Regional President Meng Chi Lee; Prof Young Sik Kim, chair of HOC of WONCA World Conference 2018. Overseas guests were among the invited guests, including from the USA, Prof Kurt Stange, Editor of Annals of Family Medicine. WONCA’s President Amanda Howe, past president Michael Kidd, and CEO Garth Manning have attended this conference in previous years.
Dr Li also officiated at the newly formed Young Doctors’ movement alliance of the three Society of General Practices of the Medical Associations of China: the Chinese Medical Association, the Chinese Medical Doctors Association and the Cross Straits Doctors Association.
Prof Kurt Stange was one of the plenary speakers and spoke on “Health care systems based on Primary Care”.
Photo: Kurt Stange seen with (from l to r) Cindy Lam, professor of family medicine from the University of Hong Kong; the President of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, Angus Chan; Donald Li; and translator Dr Wong.
During the conference, Donald Li also presented his training scholarship to three family medicine trainees who spend a week in Hong Kong to receive training in Family Medicine.
Young Sik Kim also made a nice promotion of WONCA World Conference in Seoul 2018 during his plenary speech. There was a WONCA booth at the conference.
Photo (l to r) Young Sik Kim, Donald Li, Lisa Seo (CEO Korean Academy of family medicine) at the WONCA Seoul booth
One of the highlights of the conference was a discussion forum chaired by Donald Li and Prof Zhu Zhanshu on “A new era of general practitioners for China” where views from USA, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai was shared. Participants agreed proper incentives and recognition of family doctors was most important and so was general practice research.
Photo: Donald Li speaks with Prof Zhu at right.
During the conference, plans for celebrating Family Doctor Day on May 19th were also unveiled. There will be nationwide activities which will include films to promote patients signing contracts with a fixed family doctor to deliver their care; to promote the gate keeper role of family doctors – all supporting the WONCA theme of “Family Doctors - leading the way to better health. There will be a kickoff event in Shenzhen and Donald Li has promised to be officiating guest.