Stronger Family Medicine - Morocco and South Korea
In May, I was delighted to attend the first WONCA conference ever held in Morocco - our East Mediterranean Region (EMR) conference, in Tangier. I was warmly welcomed and our Moroccan colleagues were very gracious in tolerating my long-forgotten French!
Photo: My dear friends and VIP colleagues from MG Maroc promoting World Family Doctor Day on May 19th.
The local WONCA Member organisation, MG Maroc, is one of our larger Member Organisations in the region. It is also one of several countries where our colleagues wish to achieve speciality recognition for our speciality of general practice / family medicine. I spoke, as I often do, about strengthening family medicine through working towards, and lobbying for:
- Academic departments of GP/FM in all medical schools
- Specific training for our specialty
- Continuing professional development
All these actions can better place our discipline to be rightly considered as a medical specialty. At the same time, it is essential to ensure the mentorship of young colleagues and to strengthen research in our discipline (remember Barbara Starfield).
Dr Fatima-Zohra Mchich Alami (MG Maroc President) pictured with me at the poster display.
Strong actions from MG Maroc
At the closing ceremony of the conference, President of MG Maroc, Dr Fatima-Zohra Mchich Alami announced the following impressive list of actions:
- Renew contacts with the Ministry of Health, with a view to preparing the recognition of general medicine / family medicine as a specialty.
- Also with the Ministry of Health:
- Getting the attention of the Minister of Health, to undertake collaborative work for the implementation of a coordinated care pathway and the essential role that the general practitioner must play in this.
- To present a ‘White Paper’ on general medicine / family medicine, which MG Maroc has been working on for several years.
- Organising thematic and study days in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
- To unify and standardise the vision of the General Practitioner for a better result.
- Develop ongoing and sustainable collaborations and partnerships with medical universities.
- Deepen international relations.
- Involve more and more general practitioners in their own training.
- Develop research in general medicine and primary care medicine.
It’s a list most of our countries could consider for further work. I felt that WONCA coming to Morocco had generated a renewal of enthusiasm to strengthen our discipline and achieve the specialist recognition we should have in all countries.
Dr Nagwa Nashat Hegazy (WONCA EMR secretary), WONCA president, Prof Faisal Al Nasir (WONCA EMR president elect), Dr Abdulaziz Almehrazy (WONCA EMR President), Dr Fatima-Zohra Mchich Alami (MG Maroc President).
A Clinic Visit
I also enjoyed an afternoon hosted by local GP leader and community activist, Dr Rachid Amiry, pictured with his son, Dr Mehdi Amiry, a young doctor completing his studies but who had time that afternoon to tell me a little of his life.
Dr Rachid Amiry and his son, Dr Mehdi Amiry, during a clinic visit.
Our afternoon included a visit to the clinic of Dr Noureddine Mahlouly, a solo general practitioner working in Tangier city. As is almost predictable on the day I visited he’d had an overload of patients who were waiting anxiously for their turn with their GP.
Thanks to Dr Mahlouly’s interest in Emergency Medicine, the clinic is equipped with a significant amount of resuscitation equipment (which has had more use outside the office than inside).
His receptionist, Nassima, has been in the practice for six months and is loving the work and thinks Dr Mahlouly is a wonderful GP - a lovely tribute.
Dr Noureddine Mahlouly with his receptionist, Nassima.
Busan: Strong Family Medicine, Young Doctors, Planetary Health
I’ve also attended the WONCA Asia Pacific region conference held in Busan, South Korea, where WONCA’s Asia Pacific Region (APR) Council (pictured) met and issued a statement "Strengthening Primary Care and Supporting the Medical Community in Korea".
The APR Council called on governments and health system leaders across the region, and especially in the Republic of Korea, to adopt and implement policies that strengthen and invest in Primary Care. A well-supported family medicine workforce is critical to national health security, pandemic preparedness, and the achievement of Universal Health Coverage. Full statement here.
The organising committee have done the hard work for me by writing about the event and I do not want to duplicate it so please read that report here.
I was mesmerised by two young doctors who dressed in traditional Korean clothing and facilitated the important ceremonies.
Photo: Dr LEE Gyu Bae and Dr LEE Hee Jin with HOC Chair Prof SUNWOO Sung. (l to r)
Presenting to the Young Doctors Movement - the Rajakumar Movement, I reminded them of the history of the movement and about Dr MK Rajakumar, former WONCA President, from Malaysia. Dr Rajkumar has been described by another past WONCA President Prof Chris van Weel as “He practiced the principle of thinking globally, acting locally” and “a hero of international primary care”.
I was also honoured to be part of a workshop on Planetary Health led by Japanese colleague, Takafumi Sasaki. The focus of the workshop was on implementing the WONCA Asia Pacific Region Declaration on Planetary Health developed at the WONCA APR Singapore 2024 in August 2024. The workshop aimed to explore actions - Why (why do it) and How (how to do it) in the Asia-Pacific region. A report is available online for those interested in ‘why’ and ‘how’ and I hope that is everyone!
Photo above: Workshop on Planetary Health led by Dr Takafumi Sasaki at WONCA APR Busan.
A/Prof Karen Flegg
WONCA President