Newsletter: September 2014

Over 25% of the world’s population lives in South Asia, many in dire poverty with limited or no access to health care... The national government of India, like the World Health Organization, has recognised that universal health care can only be achieved through strengthening of primary care, and the key to this is strong family medicine.

Más del 25% de la población del mundo vive en Asia meridional, muchos de ellos en extrema pobreza y sin acceso o con acceso muy limitado a los servicios de salud. El gobierno nacional de la Republica de la India, al igual que la Organización Mundial de la Salud (O.M.S.), ha reconocido que la atención sanitaria universal sólo puede lograrse a través del fortalecimiento de la atención primaria, y la clave de esto está en disponer de una medicina familiar fuerte.

The CEO reports on attending the recent South Asia conference and on progress for the 2015 Taiwan conference, and on Ramnik and Jyoti Parekh becoming the first husband/wife team to take out WONCA Life membership.

Drs Ramnik and Jyoti Parekh have created a scholarship for young family medicine doctors in the South Asia region towards supporting their participation in regional exchanges, global exchange program FM360 and WONCA conferences. Find out more about Ramnik and Jyoti and the scholarship.

While in Lisbon to attend the recent WONCA Europe conference, the WONCA President, Michael Kidd and WONCA editor, Karen Flegg, were invited by local GP, Dr Carlos Canhota, to visit his unit which is part of a health centre and meet some of the staff. Our visit was to the ACES Lisboa Ocidental e Oeiras.

Independent Experts Panel set up by the European Commission publishes Opinion on Primary Care.

A group of family doctors had the opportunity to participate, in a virtual dialogue on the training of specialists in Family Medicine under universal coverage “Diálogo Virtual sobre la formación de especialistas en Medicina Familiar en el marco de la Cobertura Universal de Salud”. This event was promoted by PAHO.

The WHO Emergency committee met this month and it was the unanimous view of the committee that the conditions for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern have been met. While WHO meet about Ebola, WONCA identity Atai Omorutu works in Liberia with victims, and the WHO and Harrison's textbook offer free resources of interest to GPs/FPs.

Did you miss the WONCA Rural Health conference in Gramado - abstracts are now available online. English and Portuguese

Did you miss WONCA Lisbon or want to revist your favourite moments? Produced courtesy of the Host organisation, the Portuguese Association of General Practice (APMGF) and featuring the opening and closing sessions, TV footage from each day and the much requested keynote of Rich Roberts.

Acabo de finalizar la elaboración de un artículo para que lo valore el Consejo de la organización de la que soy miembro (Royal College GPs, Reino Unido). Deseamos revisar lo que hacemos a través de los miembros de nuestra sociedad para mejorar la calidad del cuidado que prestamos a nuestros pacientes – no solamente la seguridad, ni la calidad de los chequeos, sino la mejora de la calidad... Hay que apuntar alto pero ser realista y persistente – como es conocido Gandhi “usted debe ser el cambio que quiere ver en el mundo”- los demás le seguirán.

We (the RCGP) want to review what we do via our members for patient quality of care – not just safe care, not even just quality checks, but quality improvement. .... Aim high, but be realistic, and be persistent – as Gandhi is reputed to have said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world”– others will follow.

This month Peter Sloane who is the newly elected chair of the Wonca Europe's movement for young doctors, the Vasco da Gama movement, writes about being a rural GP (and a young GP) in Ireland.

WONCA is pleased to have endorsed the "Mental Health for all, connecting people and sharing experience" conference coming to Lille, in France, in April next year. The chair of WONCA's Working Party on Mental Health, Luis Gálvez invited colleagues to attend.

Did you miss the WONCA Rural Health conference in Gramado - abstracts are now available online. English and Portuguese

Prof Pratap Prasad provides a short report on the success of the recent South Asia conference held in Chennai, along with numerous photos.

A group of family doctors had the opportunity to participate, in a virtual dialogue on the training of specialists in Family Medicine under universal coverage “Diálogo Virtual sobre la formación de especialistas en Medicina Familiar en el marco de la Cobertura Universal de Salud”. This event was promoted by PAHO.

Drs Ramnik and Jyoti Parekh have created a scholarship for young family medicine doctors in the South Asia region towards supporting their participation in regional exchanges, global exchange program FM360 and WONCA conferences. Find out more about Ramnik and Jyoti and the scholarship.

Independent Experts Panel set up by the European Commission publishes Opinion on Primary Care.

The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada has announced a new award named after Dr Charles Boelen - the International social accountability award. Applications close on October 31.