Newsletter: July 2017

WONCA President, Amanda Howe provides her views on recent sad events in her country, the World Health Assembly attendace by a WONCA delegation and World Family Doctor Day.

Mon activité principale depuis ma dernière lettre a été d’assister à l’Assemblée mondiale de la santé auprès de l’OMS -préparation, participation puis nombreuses possibilités d’action à suivre.

Entre las muchas actividades a las que he asistido desde la última vez que escribí he asistido a la Asamblea de la Organización Mundial de la Salud – en una primera fase preparándola, mientras duró participando en muchas actividades, y después, aprovechando las oportunidades y acciones que provocará.

The WONCA CEO tells of the recent WHO World Health Assembly and the activities of our WONCA delegation, the Global Forum for human resources for health, the Alma Ata declaration 40 years on, and a visit to the WONCA Secretariat in Bangkok by former manager Yvonne Chung

Just before the opening ceremony of the WONCA Europe conference in Prague, the WONCA editor, Dr Karen Flegg, joined a group of four colleagues from Italy and one from the UK on a practice visit.

Prof Mehmet Ungan, WONCA Europe President Elect, of Turkey, writes to colleagues asking them to consider signing the #withrefugees petition as June 20, was World Refugee Day.

WONCA was represented at the 70th World Health Assembly by Amanda Howe (WONCA President), Donald Li (WONCA President-Elect), Garth Manning (WONCA CEO) and Viviana Martinez-Bianchi (WONCA-WHO Liaison).

Just before the opening ceremony of the WONCA Europe conference in Prague, the WONCA editor, Dr Karen Flegg, joined a group of four colleagues from Italy and one from the UK on a practice visit.

This past week WONCA Europe held its annual conference in Prague. A photographic report is attached including the three minute conference video

Uno de los temas recurrentes ante el que se enfrentan los responsables políticos y de los gobiernos es la solicitud constante de evidencias entre la formación de más médicos de familia y el valor añadido para el sistema y sus costes económico-efectivos, es decir, que los políticos demuestren que la inversión en formación está justificada.

Dr Neil Arya and colleagues in Canada have created a new webpage on family medicine training and practice worldwide. They have done this as a ‘Wiki’ where we can all upload relevant data:

The WONCA Rural Africa group (WoRA) was introduced at the 14th WONCA Rural Assembly in Cairns Australia and was unanimously accepted. WoRA will be launched on the 18 August 2017 during the 5th WONCA Africa region conference in Pretoria and in India during 15th Rural WONCA conference 2018.

The government of Ukraine, together with the WHO-office in Kiev, is engaged in a process of transformation of the health care system, strengthening primary care and family medicine. Dr. Kees van Boven and Prof. Jan De Maeseneer gave a two-days training workshop for 50 family doctors, coming from the different Oblasts (“Provinces” in Ukraine), in Kiev.

A task group of the WONCA Working Party for Mental Health, led by Alan Cohen (UK) and Kim Griswold (USA) has developed guidance to enable family doctors to care more effectively for their patients with severe mental illness.

A workshop titled ‘Point-of-Care Testing for Today’s Family Doctor: Innovations and Applications’ was presented on behalf of the WONCA Special Interest Group on Point-of-Care Testing at the 14th WONCA World Rural Health Conference in Cairns, Australia from 29th April – 2nd May 2017.

The European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) officially launched the International Web-based Course on Research in Primary Health Care at the WONCA Europe Conference in Prague. The course is suitable for European family doctors and other healthcare professionals who are interested in research.

This past week WONCA Europe held its annual conference in Prague. A photographic report is attached including the three minute conference video

The WONCA Rural Africa group (WoRA) was introduced at the 14th WONCA Rural Assembly in Cairns Australia and was unanimously accepted. WoRA will be launched on the 18 August 2017 during the 5th WONCA Africa region conference in Pretoria and in India during 15th Rural WONCA conference 2018.

The European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) officially launched the International Web-based Course on Research in Primary Health Care at the WONCA Europe Conference in Prague. The course is suitable for European family doctors and other healthcare professionals who are interested in research.

Goodfellow Gems are chosen by the Goodfellow Unit director Dr Bruce Arroll to be either practice changing or practice maintaining. The information is educational and not clinical advice. PEARLS are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.