Newsletter: April 2019

Tout président de WONCA a un avantage dans l’une ou l’autre partie du monde selon son lieu de naissance, la (les) langue(s) qu’il parle, l’endroit où il exerce et là où il vit. Nous utilisons nos avantages particuliers pour influencer l’adoption d’une médecine familiale de qualité au niveau mondial -mais nous les utilisons aussi pour exercer notre influence au niveau local.

Each WONCA President has an advantage in one part of the world or another depending on where they were born, what language(s) they speak, where they practice, and where they live. We use the advantages we have to help influence the uptake of and quality of family medicine globally – but we also use any advantage we have to influence things closer to home as well.

Todos los presidentes de la WONCA tienen ventaja en función de en qué parte del mundo provienen, dependiendo de dónde nacieron, de qué idioma hablan, de dónde realizan su prática médica y de dónde viven. Todos utilizamos las ventajas que tenemos para ayudar a influir en la aceptación y la calidad de la medicina familiar a nivel global, pero también nos servimos de todas las ventajas de las que disponemos para influir en las cuestiones que ocurren lo más cerca posible de nuestros hogares.

WONCA的各任主席来自世界不同角落，我们根据各自的出生地、语言、执业及所在地等而拥有独有的优势。我们利用这些独有的优势为各地家庭医学的发展而努力，同时也藉此为周边地区做点事情。

Last year I wrote about a visit undertaken by Professor Rich Roberts and me, when we visited China to undertake practice accreditation visits to Beijing and Shanghai, using the newly developed WONCA Global Standards for Practice Accreditation. These visits stimulated additional interest and so we were invited back in February this year.

Adrián Castellote is semFYC’s representative in WONCA Europe’s Network, EURIPA – the organisation for doctors from rural and remote areas in Europe. He is now embarking on a working trip on a sailing expedition to Antarctica. Follow his footsteps live with semFYC with hasgtag # MFenAntártida. This time Adrián deals with a medical evacuation question.

Dr Ruth Wilson of Canada, reports on the WHO consultative meeting “Implementing WHO’s Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication without harm. Country guidance.” The meeting took place from November 22 – 23, 2018, in Geneva.

WONCA is seeking applications for the Atai Omoruto Scholarship award to attend the WONCA Africa Regional Conference and WONCA Working Party on Women and Family Medicine preconference in Kampala, Uganda 5 -8 June, 2019.

On behalf of the Emirates Medical Association and the HOC I warmly invite you to the WONCA World Conference in Abu Dhabi in November 2020. The website was recently launched

It’s less than two months until the WONCA Asia Pacific region (APR) conference, in Kyoto. We are now in the full swing of final preparations. More than 500 papers have been submitted and participants from more than 40 countries have already registered.

Dr Michaela Macháčová, president of the 24th WONCA Europe Conference 2019, writes about the conference coming to Bratislava, Slovakia from June 26 - 29, 2019.

El rol crucial de la Medicina de Familia ante la reducción del riesgo de desastres y ante la falta de preparación está siendo reconocido de forma cada vez mayor tanto a nivel nacional como a nivel global. La formación para poder mitigar los efectos devastadores de una catástrofe una vez esta ha ocurrido, puede ser limitada y, en algunos países, incluso llegar a ser inexistente.

家庭医生在灾难防护方面所担当的重要角色，逐渐得到国际社会更多的认同及肯定。现时各地对舒缓灾害或防灾训练颇为有限，有些国家甚至是无任何相关的训练。然而,家庭医生往往是首批放下听筒、走进灾场照顾伤患者的人员之一，我们也要在灾后处理患者的创伤，帮助他们面对各种各样在健康和生活上的困难。

WONCA President, Donald Li, writes on a topic, which he is passionate about. "We need to build our understanding of the risks and develop appropriate training for family doctors. By doing so, we can ensure that we contribute in the most effective ways possible, alongside the growing body of professionals who plan for and respond to the worst of situations to befall a community."

Dr John Wynn-Jones, Chair WONCA Working Party on Rural Practice (WWPRP), reports on past year's activities.

Prof Chris Dowrick, chair of the WONCA Working Party for Mental Health, reports on activities during the past year.

Prof Val Wass, chair of the WONCA Working Party on education (WWPE) reports on the past year's activities: “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world” Mandela

Enrique Barros gives a summary report on the WP on the Environment e-meetings and ongoing projects.

Utilizing various forms of social media to reach the general public is a tool we can continually improve. The use of Targeted Rural Health Education to enhance the health of rural North Dakotans is a novel approach to community education. Kamille S Sherman, co-director of Family Medicine Clerkship and Rural Opportunities in Medical Education, at the University of North Dakota, describes a program of student-led writing to address a local health concern: Targeted Rural Health Education (TRHE).

Dr Ruth Wilson of Canada, reports on the WHO consultative meeting “Implementing WHO’s Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication without harm. Country guidance.” The meeting took place from November 22 – 23, 2018, in Geneva.

Miguel Pizzanelli, convenor of WONCA Special Interest Group on Quaternary Prevention and Overmedicalization (QP&O) reports on the period August 2018 to March 2019.

The Special Interest Group on Point of Care testing (POCT) has a new convenor - Dr Rogier Hopstaken of The Netherlands.

It’s less than two months until the WONCA Asia Pacific region (APR) conference, in Kyoto. We are now in the full swing of final preparations. More than 500 papers have been submitted and participants from more than 40 countries have already registered.