From the Wonca President
:
GFD - A One-Stop Site for all your Needs
2
From the CEO’s Desk
:
We Thank our First Wonca Global Sponsors
2
From the Editor
:
Wonca - Promoting Excellence in
3
Education, Practice and Research
FEATURE STORIES
4
• Wonca Contributes to Global Initiative for Lung Disease
• Iberoamericana-CIMF Promotes ‘Margarita Declaration’
• Wonca World Council Issues ‘Call for Humanity’
Wonca REGIONAL NEWS
6
• Research Network Development High Priority in Asia-Pacific Region
• EGPRN Sets General Practice Research Priorities in Europe
• Register Now for the May 2005 Asia-Regional Conference in Japan
• The Greek Island of Kos to Host September 2005 Europe Regional
Conference
HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEM NEWS
9
• WHO Launches Global Commission on Social Determinants
of Health
• Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Becomes
International Law
MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS
11
• Meet Michael Kidd: Wonca Executive Member at Large
• Malta College of Family Doctors Holds General Practice Teacher’s
Course
• Wonca February Global Doctor of the Month is Dr Cynthia Haq
RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR
13
• Our ‘new-look’ GlobalFamilyDoctor - Wonca Online
• Keeping up-to-date Through GFD
• Preparing a Health Care Workforce for the 21st Century:
The Challenge of Chronic Conditions
WONCA CONFERENCES 2005-2010 AT A GLANCE
15
GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR
16
VOLUME 31
NUMBER 2
APRIL 2005
CONTENTS
Wonca website:
http://www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com
Wonca President
Prof Bruce Sparks, South Africa
2 Cruden Bay Road
Greenside
Johannesburg 2193
South Africa
Tel: 27 11 646 2140
Fax: 27 11 717 2558
Email: brucespa@global.co.za
Wonca Chief Executive Officer
Dr Alfred W T Loh
Wonca Administrative Manager
Ms Yvonne Chung
World Organization of Family Doctors
College of Medicine Building
16 College Road # 01-02
Singapore 169854
Tel: 65 6224 2886
Fax: 65 6324 2029
Email: admin@wonca.com.sg
Wonca President-Elect
Prof Chris van Weel, Netherlands
Wonca Immediate Past President
Dr Michael Boland, Ireland
Honorary Treasurer
Richard Roberts, MD, USA
Wonca Regional Presidents
Dr Abra T Fransch, Africa
Warren A Heffron, MD, Americas
A/Prof Goh Lee Gan, Asia Pacific
Prof Igor Svab, Europe
Dr Shatendra K Gupta, Middle East
South Asia
Dr Adolfo Rubinstein,
Iberoamericana-CIMF
Wonca Executive Members at Large
Dr Javier Dominguez del Olmo, Mexico
Prof Michael Kidd, Australia
Richard Roberts, MD, USA
Chair, Bylaws and Regulations
Dan Ostergaard, MD, USA
Chair, Publications & Communications
Dr Geoffrey D Martin, Australia
Wonca News & Editorial Office
Marc L Rivo, MD
4566 Prairie Avenue
Miami Beach, Florida 33140, USA
Tel: 305 671 7327
Fax: 305 674 8839
Email: marcrivo@aol.com
WONCA GLOBAL SPONSORS:
FROM THE CEO’S DESK:
WE THANK OUR FIRST WONCA GFD
GLOBAL SPONSORS
I sincerely hope that by now you would have found
the new Homepage of the Wonca Website
(www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com) attractive, friendly and
convenient to use and navigate. We have plans to
further improve the Homepage and other sections of the
Wonca Website. These will become possible as Wonca
and the Website begin to receive financial support in
the form of unrestricted grants for the work that Wonca
is doing.
You will have noticed on this new Homepage the
logos of four pharmaceutical multinationals (Altana
Pharma, AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim) who
were the first to become Wonca Global Sponsors for this
year. These sponsorships will be unrestricted grants in
support of Wonca’s Global Mission.
In appreciation for the support these multinationals
are giving to Wonca, they have in turn been offered
certain working privileges with Wonca that will recognize
them as Global Sponsors and friends of Wonca.
These Global Sponsors will enjoy the following :
1.Sponsors will be acknowledged at appropriate
Wonca events like World and Regional Conferences
and will be invited to participate in, and attend
openings, banquets and other official and ceremonial
Wonca meetings as special guests.
2.Sponsors will have special communication access to
the Wonca CEO and other leaders to identify special
global opportunities relating to Wonca activities.
FROM THE WONCA PRESIDENT:
GFD – A ONE-STOP SITE FOR ALL YOUR
NEEDS
One of my family medicine trainees said to me
the other day, “I find the Wonca Website
(www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com) one of my most popular
sources for medical information. As a busy practitioner I
need a website that easily keeps me up-to-date on the
latest journal articles relevant to my work, and also
contains more in-depth information on specific topics
when required. The Wonca GFD site does just that!”
What was particularly important for Eddie were the
free Journal Alerts. Imagine obtaining a one-line
summary of all the important journal articles relevant to
family doctors in your email Inbox three days every
week! With just a mouse click on the line that interests
you, you could view an abstract or the complete article
.... epidemiological, clinical, educational, health services
research ... all for free! They are searched and reviewed
personally by family physicians, so they are relevant,
useful, important, up-to-date, topical and evidence-
based! Enrol for Journal Alerts at the top of this screen.
In designing this website we have been very aware
of the specific needs of practicing family doctors. Many
do not have easy access to the web during their
working hours, but when it is available, practitioners
must be able to access the data quickly, and with little
effort and using limited IT skills. This requires an easily
searchable database of the nearly 4000 clinical reviews
and critiqued journal items, clinical guidelines and
evidence-based information available on the site.
The Wonca site also provides access to a repository
of POEMs (Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters),
Disease and Travel Alerts, and eMedicine, which are
suitable for all regions of the World. Wonca is
particularly cognisant of the need to also provide
appropriate health care information which is relevant to
regions where resources are limited or scarce.
Wonca proposes to create an Online Educational
Resource Centre, through which it will provide its own
CME/CPD that will attract credit points. It is also hoped
to have online courses and even College accredited
programmes and diplomata.
Of course the site is also a portal to the many
activities of Wonca the organisation, working parties on
WONCA
News
FROM THE WONCA PRESIDENT/FROM THE CEO’S DESK
2
quality improvement, classification and coding, research
and many others; details of congresses; Council and
Executive matters and its membership lists to mention a
few!
If you have not already found our new site, please
go to www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com
Enjoy the site!
Bruce Sparks, M.D.
President
World Organization of Family Doctors
WONCA
News
FROM THE CEO’S DESK/FROM THE EDITOR
3
3.They will have the privilege of introductions and
contacts as Global Sponsors to all Wonca Member
Organizations for the purpose of determining
mutually beneficial collaborations and other
opportunities that may exist in the country or region.
4.Each year there will be an opportunity for a Global
Sponsor to select and sponsor, in conjunction with
Wonca, a speaker of global standing on a topic
related to ‘The Future of Family Medicine’ at a Wonca
meeting to be organized through the Host Organizing
Committee and Wonca World Secretariat. This may in
the form of dedicated plenary sessions or evening
satellite symposia.
5.Every issue of Wonca News will carry acknow-
ledgements of the Wonca Global Sponsors.
6.Wonca Global Sponsors will be acknowledged on the
Homepage of the Wonca Worldwide Website
(www.globalfamilydoctor.com) with a rollover and
link to the corresponding company website through
an appropriate intervening page.
7.Wonca Global Sponsors will be acknowledged in the
Journal Alerts of Global Family Doctor. These Journal
Alerts are currently being sent directly by e-mail
three times a week to over 4000 recipients world-
wide and the subscribing numbers are increasing
each day.
With these incentives, Wonca hopes that it will
continue to receive greater support for its global
mission from the pharmaceutical and other medical
related companies in the years ahead.
The past triennium has seen Wonca grown not only
in its geographical spread but also in its collaborations
with other medical NGOs and the WHO. These have
demanded increasing degrees of financial commitments
on the part of Wonca to fulfill its role in these collabor-
ations and to service the new Member Organisations.
The limited funds available to Wonca have been one
of the key factors restricting its growth and extent of
collaboration with others.
It is through these mutually beneficial and ethical
sponsorships by the pharmaceutical and medical related
industries of Wonca activities that more can be done to
realize the Global Objectives and Mission of our
Organisation.
Dr Alfred Loh
Chief Executive Officer
World Organization of Family Doctors
FROM THE EDITOR:
PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION,
PRACTICE AND RESEARCH
Family Medicine and the family doctor play a central
role in health systems by providing relevant, quality and
affordable health care services to meet people’s needs.
Promoting excellence in education, practice and research
helps the family doctor to enhance health systems. This
issue of Wonca News features an inspiring array of such
examples.
Feature articles describe Wonca’s efforts to improve
primary care treatment of respiratory conditions as well
as family medicine accreditation, certification and
continuing medical education in the Iberoamerica
region. This issue also reports on regional meetings
already held to enhance primary care research in Europe
and the Asia-Pacific, as well as those broader regional
meetings planned in Kyoto, Japan and the island of Kos,
Greece during 2005. Similarly, this issue reports on
national educational meetings already hosted, such as
the Malta College, or being publicized in our list of
meetings for the family doctor.
As Bruce Sparks describes in his Presidents Column,
the family doctor may find an impressive and ever-
growing list of relevant resources on Wonca’s newly
enhanced website, www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com (GFD).
Articles by Wonca Publication’s Chair, Geoff Martin, and
Medical Editor, Wes Fabb, GFD provides the family
doctor with additional details about GFD’s resources.
Alfred Loh, in his CEO’s Column, thanks our global
sponsors who have supported GFD.
Wonca’s Committee’s, Working Parties, Special
Interest Groups and Task Forces, as well as 100 member
organizations are most welcome to send me articles
describing how you promote education, practice and
research and, thereby, enhance the role of the family
doctor in health systems. Today, we family doctors can
find many relevant resources through Wonca to enhance
their value in health systems throughout the world. I
hope that we all recognize and take pride in Wonca’s
commitment to promote excellence in education,
practice and research throughout the world.
Marc L. Rivo, MD, MPH
Editor, Wonca News
marcrivo@aol.com
4566 Prairie Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33140 USA
1-305-674-8839 (fax)
Alma-Ata, promoting ‘Health for All’,
inspired family medicine training in
Spain (1978) and Venezuela (1979),
followed by the Dominican Republic
(1981), Chile (1982), Colombia and
Cuba (1984), Ecuador (1987),
Uruguay (1996) and 1997 (Peru). By
the early 21st century, Family
Medicine was spreading rapidly
throughout Central and South
America.
In May, 2002, leaders from 17
countries gathered in Seville, Spain
in the ‘First Ibero American Summit
of Family Medicine’ to review the
status of family medicine develop-
ment in the region. Their vision of
Family Medicine’s central role in
health care system improvement was
synthesized in the “Declaration of
Seville”.
Following the “Summit of
Seville”, it became clear that
countries wishing to develop and
enhance family medicine in the
region would benefit from some
guidance. As a result, leadership
from the Seville Summit organized
with the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), the WHO’s
regional office, the “First Ibero
American Conference of Experts on
the Certification and Accreditation in
Family Medicine”. Meeting in
Margarita Island, Venezuela, over 30
experts from 20 countries in the
region began offered proposals that
they hoped would serve as a guide
for countries wishing to establish
Family Medicine certification,
residency training and continuing
medical education (CME) standards
in Ibero America.
From July to October, 2003, the
experts intensively worked to
elaborate the initial
recommendations into a series of
technical documents which were
published by Wonca Iberoamericana-
CIMF and PAHO. The experts
summarized the 10 major
recommendations organized within
the three major sections of
certification, residency training and
WONCA
News
FEATURE STORIES
4
FEATURE STORIES
WONCA CONTRIBUTES TO
GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR
LUNG DISEASE
As Wonca’s representative to the
Global initiative for Chronic
Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), I
attended their 28 - 29 January 2005
meeting in Rome. The aim of GOLD
is to raise awareness of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease and
promote state of the art diagnosis,
treatment and management. In the
past, GOLD has developed a
guideline that is translated in many
languages. Last year a specification
of the GOLD guideline for primary
care has been published: the
International Primary Care Airways
Guidelines. This also includes the
asthma (GINA) and allergy (ARIA)
initiatives and is based on
respiratory symptoms.
GOLD has a science and
dissemination committee. The main
focus of dissemination is the World
COPD, which will be held in
November, 2005. GOLD has
established a network of (mainly
respiratory medicine based) national
organizers. Through Wonca they
have to be introduced to both FP/GP
contacts in primary care and our
Wonca member organizations.
Wonca has been seen as an
organizational structure in which
COPD awareness can be attained
within a national health care
structure. This will help bring the
focus a bit away from the one day
world awareness day towards
translation of evidenced-based
guidelines into daily health care.
The Wonca world and regional
conferences were seen as a useful
forum to build primary care -
secondary care collaboration on
awareness and state-of-the-art
management. I have promoted the
possibilities of respiratory symposia
during the upcoming Wonca
Regional Conferences in Kos,
Bangkok, Florence, Buenos Aires
and Singapore.
The science committee is
preparing a review of the current
guideline on the basis of new
evidence. A major decision was
taken to invite primary care
membership of the science
committee. In the words of the new
chair of this committee, GOLD has
been paternalistic about primary
care by only inviting it to the
dissemination part of the activities.
Currently, Professor Thys van der
Molen and I from primary care are
members of the GOLD executive and
we have proposed that one of us
will move from dissemination to
science.
The bylaws for GOLD have been
adopted. The bylaws recognize that
important organizations have a
formal representation in GOLD,
including Wonca. I represent Wonca
as a full member on the GOLD
executive committee. Each executive
member is appointed for a term of 4
years, with the possibility of a
second term.
Wonca and its family doctors
have an important role to play in
GOLD and other such chronic
disease initiatives around the world.
Professor Chris van Weel, FRCGP
Wonca President Elect
C.vanWeel@hag.umcn.nl
Ibero Americana-CIMF
Promotes ‘Margarita
Declaration’
Family Medicine began in Ibero
America with the first residency
training program in Mexico in 1971.
Argentina (1972) and Bolivia (1976)
followed. The 1978 Declaration of
WONCA
News
FEATURE STORIES
5
CME into what has become know as
“The Declaration of Margarita”.
The Declaration of Margarita calls
for each country to establish a
minimum set of requirements
concerning the accreditation of
family medicine residency training
programs. Furthermore,
recommendations call for each
county to establish a “National
Inter-institutional Committee of
Medical Residencies”. The
Committee would serve to regulate
and help standardize family
medicine residency training. In
addition, this Committee would be
responsible for regulating the other
medical specialties existing in each
country.
The Declaration of Margarita calls
for each country to establish
certification and recertification
standards for family medicine
specialists, as well as for the other
medical specialties. The recom-
mendations recognize that such
standards should be adapted by
each country given the
competencies of family doctors in
caring for patients, their families
and community and the organization
of health care services. Finally, the
Declaration of Margarita includes
recommendations to develop CME
programs that help family doctors
maintain the abilities and skills in
family medicine.
As Wonca’s newest region,
Iberoamericana-CIMF serves to lead,
coordinate and support family
medicine development among our
member countries. We continue to
look to the “Seville Summitt” and
the Declaration of Margarita to
provide us with the vision and
guidance to expand and enhance
family medicine training, certification
and CME throughout the region.
Dr Adolfo Rubinstein
Regional President,
Wonca Iberoamericana-CIMF
adolfo.rubinstein@hospitalitaliano.org.ar
Dr Javier Dominguez del Olmo
Past Interim Regional President,
Wonca Iberoamericana-CIMF
Wonca Executive Member at Large
javier.dominguez@unfpa.org.mx
(Editor’s note:
Those interested in reviewing the
“Declaration of Margarita” and its
set of technical documents may
download a PDF file from
Iberoamericana-CIMF at:
http://www.cimfweb.org/bn_admin/
include/images/pdf/
Doc_Tec_Ing_.pdf )
Wonca World Council
Issues ‘Call for Humanity’
The Wonca World Council,
meeting in Orlando during October
2004, reaffirmed its principle duty
to care for all people, its strident
opposition to human torture and
genocide, and called upon all
nations of the world to respect the
human rights of men, women and
children.
In response to concerns raised
during the June 2004 Wonca Region
Europe meeting in Amsterdam
about recent reports of human
torture and genocide in many
countries, then President Michael
Boland subsequently issued a
Wonca Executive approved,
“Presidential Statement on the
Victims of Torture”.
During the Wonca World Council
meeting, Dr Bruno Kissling,
representing the Swiss Society of
General Medicine, applauded the
Wonca Presidential Statement and
recommended that the World
Council issue its own ‘Call for
Humanity’ against the use of human
torture and genocide. Wonca World
Council discussions acknowledged
similar, appropriately worded
resolutions by the United Nations,
World Medical Association and the
American Academy of Family
Physicians, on the subject.
Subsequently, the Wonca World
Council reaffirmed its opposition to
human torture and genocide and
issued a ‘call for humanity’. The
wording of the final resolution is as
follows:
“This assembly of the World
Organization of Family Doctors,
meeting in Orlando, from 13 – 18
October 2004:
1. noting that human rights of
individuals and groups globally
are often neglected and infringed
for political reasons and the
concept of humanity is ignored;
2. being conscious that the
shocking examples made evident
through the international media
may only partially reflect the true
extent of this deplorable
practice;
3. being conscious, too, that
human torture and genocide is
practiced in many countries by
state structures, political or
terrorist groups and deeply
concerned about the increasing
trend of destructive and
inhumane behaviour and feeling
that silence on the matter could
be construed as support or
approval of this reprehensible
practice;
4. noting further that physicians are
sometimes involved in such
activities
Declares that Wonca World
following its principal duty to care
for people regardless of age, sex or
any other personal characteristic)
detests these inhuman ideologies
and activities and calls on all
nations to respect the human rights
which apply to all men and women
and children of the world.”
real research data (courtesy of Dr Kamil Mohd Ariff),
with the assistance of experienced facilitators.
The third day (27th Feb) had two themes. The first
part focused on research network issues (chaired by
Dr Zailina and Dr Ng). The lecture “Practice-based
Research Networks: Problems, Barriers, Solutions” by
Prof Chris van Weel, gave examples of how research
networks in the developed countries have made
significant contributions. This was followed by four
Country Reports: Malaysia (Dr Zailina), Singapore
(Assoc Prof LG Goh), Taiwan (Assoc Prof Feng Hwa Lu)
and New Zealand (Assoc Prof Ngaire Kerse); and report
from the WONCA Asia-Pacific Research Steering Group
(Dr Ng CJ). These reports updated the participants on
the progress made in relation to primary care research
in the national and regional level and identified
possible ways to strengthen collaboration in future.
Group photograph of Organizing Committee and speakers
Front row (left to right): Ngaire Kerse, LG Goh, Chris van Weel, CL
Teng, DM Thuraiappah, JT Arokiasamy, Zailinawati AH. Back row (left
to right): Nurjahan MI, CJ Ng, SF Tong, FH Lu, EM Khoo, Sherina MS
Small group biostatistics practical exercise
Foreground: Prof LG Goh and Dr CJ Ng coaching Dr Gun, a participant
WONCA REGIONAL NEWS
RESEARCH NETWORK DEVELOPMENT
HIGH PRIORITY IN ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
The Academy of Family Physicians Malaysia (AFPM)
organized a successful Asia-Pacific Research Network
Development workshop in Awana Hotel, Genting
Highland, Malaysia from 25th to 27th February 2005.
This Asia-Pacific Region workshop, as well as the
previous research meeting in Phuket, Thailand (July
2004), was stimulated by the immense need for primary
care research so eloquently presented in the WONCA
Kingston Conference1 (March 2003). A few Malaysian
delegates who participated in the Phuket meeting
managed to attract other like-minded primary care
colleagues to form the Malaysian Primary Care Research
Group (MPCRG) as a special interest group within the
AFPM. The Awana meeting was the third research
meeting organized by MPCRG in conjunction with the
AFPM.
The workshop’s Organizing Committee and
facilitators included Associate Professor CL Teng (chair),
Dr CJ Ng (co-chair), Dr Zailinawati, Associate Professor
EM Khoo, Dr Sherina Mohd Sidik, Dr SF Tong, Dr Kamil
Mohd Ariff, Associate Professor Nurjahan Mohd Ibrahim,
and Dr Nik Sherina Haidi Hanafi. The Organizing
Committee was supported by: Dr MK Rajakumar, Adjunct
Professor Dato’ Dr Thuraiappah, Professor YC Chia,
Professor LG Goh, Professor Chris van Weel, and
Professor John Arokiasamy. Funding support was
provided by Pfizer, MSD, Sonofi-Aventis, Norvatis, Bayer
and MMA Foundation.
The choice of venue was the cool hill resort of
Genting Highland, a short driving distance from Kuala
Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. In spite of the short
notice, we had attracted 61 participants, 11 of whom
came from 7 other countries. The Welcome Dinner on
the 25th February provided a great opportunity for
participants to renew old ties and forge new friendships.
The second day (26th Feb) was devoted entirely to
biostatistics – a problematic area for many primary care
researchers. The participants found the relearning of
biostatistics can be rather painless - the lectures on
basic biostatistics by Prof John Arokiasamy (Melaka-
Manipal Medical College) had succeeded in explaining
very clearly some difficult statistical concepts. They had
enjoyed tremendously the small group practical
exercises using SPSS (courtesy of SPSS Malaysia) and
WONCA
News
REGIONAL NEWS
6
WONCA
News
REGIONAL NEWS
7
The second part focused on
medical writing (chaired by Assoc
Prof EM Khoo). The lecture by Prof
LG Goh “Medical Writing: Why are
manuscripts rejected?” gave many
useful tips to the budding medical
writers. This was followed by a
panel discussion where views from
experienced researchers and
members of editorial boards
(Prof Chris van Weel, Prof John
Arokiasamy, Prof LG Goh, Assoc Prof
Ngaire Kerse, and Assoc Prof CL
Teng) were shared with the
delegates.
At the end of this workshop, the
participants had given positive
feedback that many useful lessons
in the research process were gained.
The success of this workshop
boosted the confidence of the
Organizing Committee a great deal
and made us seriously considering
organizing future workshops.
However, the problem with funding
and the sustainability of regional
meeting focusing only on research
are issues that should be
deliberated further.
1.van Weel C, Rosser WW (ed).
Improving Health Globally and
the Need for Primary Care
Research: Report of the Wonca
Kingston Conference. Ann Fam
Med 2004;2(Suppl)
Reported by:
CL Teng (tengcl@imu.edu.my)
CJ Ng (ngcj@um.edu.my)
Zailinawati AH
(zailina@nasioncom.net)
EM Khoo (khooem@um.edu.my)
Photographs were taken by
Dr WS Chen
EGPRN Sets General
Practice Research
Priorities in Europe
The European General Practice
Research Network (EGPRN), the core
research network of WONCA Europe,
decided a few years ago to work on
a General Practice Research Agenda
closely collaborating with the
WONCA Executive Board and
Council. To that purpose this
network organized a brainstorming
session during its 2002 autumn
meeting in Bled, Slovenia, with the
aim of exploring the views of active
European general practice
researchers on needs and priorities
as well as barriers for GP research in
Europe.
An article, published in the
October issue 2004 of Family
Practice, reports on the findings of
that EGPRN workshop. A total of 43
persons (19 female) from 18
European countries replied to an
invitation to attend a brief
workshop. The participants formed
seven groups to discuss the
following questions; (1) what major
topics or content do you think
should be included in a research
agenda in general practice in your
country?; and (2) What are the
barriers to adequate implementation
of general practice research in your
country?
Based upon the participant
discussions, the “research content”
was categorized into seven groups
according to research domain
(health services research, public
health, clinical issues, specific
research questions, specific research
methods, quality improvement and
educational research). The “barriers
to research” were categorized into
five groups (health care system
politics, academic infrastructure,
research training and research
networks). Research on clinical
issues and diagnostic tools was
mentioned most often as an
important priority. A general
consensus emerged on the need for
research on education and teaching.
Six groups mentioned both
priorities. Insufficient financial
resources were found to be the
commonest obstacle to effective
general practice research
(mentioned by 6 groups). Three
groups mentioned the need for a
proper electronic medical record as
a key priority.
The findings of this study could
be used as a starting point for
national checklists of content, and
conditions of general practice
research. EGPRN is planning to
make an inventory of the scientific
expertise, orientation, research
strategies and agendas of
departments and institutes of
general practice across Europe.
Professor Christos Lionis
EGPRN Vice President
lionis@galinos.med.uoc.gr
(Editor’s note: For further
information, please read, C. Lionis,
HEJH Stoffers, E. Hummers - Pradier,
F. Griffiths, D. Rotar - Pavlic, JJ
Rethans. Setting priorities and
identifying for general practice
research in Europe. Results from an
EGPRN meeting. Family Practice
2004; 21:587-593)
Register Now for the May
2005 Asia-Pacific Regional
Conference in Japan
The Organizing Committee and
the Japanese Academy of Primary
Care Physicians are both pleased
and honored to be hosting the
World Organization of Family
Doctors WONCA Asia Pacific Regional
Conference 2005 from May 27 to 31,
2005, in Kyoto, Japan. The theme of
8
WONCA
News
REGIONAL NEWS
the conference will be “General Practice /Family Practice-
As a Global Standard.”
In the 21st century, the number of qualified family
physicians and general practitioners capable of
diagnosing illness synthetically has increased
worldwide. This development has increased the need for
the adoption of global standards for family physicians
and general practitioners. Consequently, the scientific
program of the conference will deal with education and
training, research, quality assurance, and more efficient
use of funds in order to meet this requirement
according to the principles of primary care – specifically,
“comprehensiveness”, “communication” and
“coordination.”
By engaging in discussions and exchanges of
information at the conference, participants will be able
to acquire the latest information and knowledge as well
as new skills. As a result, they will be able to contribute
significantly to solutions to various medical issues in
their home countries. This will clearly promote health
and social welfare not only in the Asia Pacific Region,
but worldwide.
The conference site will be the Kyoto International
Conference Hall, one of Japan’s most reputable
conference centers. Host to numerous scientific
meetings throughout its history, the hall is situated on
an attractive site convenient to the center of Kyoto.
May is a particularly pleasant time of year in Kyoto, as
the city is suffused with emerging greenery during the
spring season. Kyoto is also renowned for its illustrious
history. From 794 to 1868, the city reigned as Japan’s
capital and home to the Imperial Court. The city
embodies a wealth of traditional art, architecture and
crafts that have been carefully preserved in more than
1,600 Buddhist temples and 270 Shinto shrines.
Participants will be able to take advantage of Kyoto’s
many cultural properties in addition to enjoying the
stimulating scientific program.
To learn more about the Asia Pacific Regional
Conference and to register online, please visit our web
site at http://www.wonca2005.jp/. Additional contact
information is available in this issue under “Global
Meetings for the Family Doctor”.
We pledge to do our utmost, together with the
members of the Japanese Academy of Primary Care
Physicians, to ensure the conference is fruitful and
productive for all. We look forward to welcoming you to
Kyoto in May 2005.
Tsukasa Tsuda, M.D., Ph.D.
Chairperson
Host Organizing Committee
Makoto Komatsu, M.D.
Honorary Chairperson
Host Organizing Committee
The Greek Island of Kos to Host
September 2005 Europe Regional
Conference
It is an honour and a privilege to invite you to the
11th Conference of the European Society of General
Practice/Family Medicine-WONCA Region Europe, which
will be held in Greece from the 3rd to the 7th of
September 2005.
The overall theme of the Conference has been
determined to be “From Hippocrates to the Human
Genome:The Past, Present and Future of General
Practice/Family Medicine.”
It is time to reexamine the Hippocratic principles,
taking into consideration the large and recent scientific
breakthroughs and to test, in terms of time endurance,
our classical values in order to reassure them. As far as
Greece is concerned, the country that has invented
Family Medicine in the past, it will have the chance to
reinvent it once more in the Conference, as well as to
reform any basic principles while monitoring the
evolution of General Practice along with its challenges.
We believe that the concept of Family Medicine is a
classical one. Nevertheless, we strongly feel that it is
our duty to argue on our belief and to prove that our
specialty is the actual core of Medicine itself; to such an
extend this is , that the later cannot evolve as a science
and a function in the absence of the former.
Bodossakis Merkouris
HOC Chairman
HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEM NEWS
WHO LAUNCHES GLOBAL COMMISSION ON SOCIAL
DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
The WHO has launched an international commission to address the
profound inequity in peoples’ health within and between countries that
arises from the circumstances in which people live and work. Social
determinants of health include poverty, social exclusion, inappropriate
housing, shortcomings in safeguarding early childhood development, unsafe
employment conditions, and lack of quality health systems. The three year
Commission on Social Determinants of Health, comprising leading global
experts on health, education, housing and economics, will recommend the
best ways to address health’s social determinants and break the “poverty
equals ill-health’ cycle.
“Social standing plays a big part in whether people will live to be 40 or
80, whether they will be treated for a curable disease, and whether their
children survive their fifth birthday. People should not die young because
they are poor. This commission will assist countries, no matter how rich or
poor, to implement strategies that will help people who are poor and
marginalized live longer, healthier lives,” said WHO Director General Lee at
the official launch in Santiago, Chile. “This effectively places the needs of
the disadvantaged first on the health agenda in the 21st century.”
Social determinants are intrinsically linked to inequities in health. They
help to explain why poor and marginalized people get sick and die sooner
than people in better social positions. They are a significant reason behind
the world’s vast difference in average life expectancy, which ranges from 34
years in Sierra Leone (lowest in the world) to 81.9 in Japan (highest in the
world). Social determinants also account for the majority of health
inequities within countries. In Indonesia, under-five mortality is nearly four
times higher in the poorest fifth of the population than in the richest fifth.
In England and Wales, the latest data shows a 7.4 year gap in life
expectancy between men in professional occupations and men in unskilled
manual occupations (1997-1999 figures).
Some countries-such as Chile, Sweden, and the United Kingdom – are
already advancing innovative health programmes that address social
determinants through a comprehensive inter-sectoral approach. For instance,
social welfare programmes with benefits conditional on children’s school
attendance, regular medical check-ups, and other health-promoting actions
are helping to reverse the “poverty equals ill-health” trend. Health inequity
assessments resulting in the declaration of “health action zones” and health
promotion campaigns targeting disadvantaged people are also safeguarding
the health of vulnerable groups.
The Commission will identify the successful strategies now underway in
countries. Whereas, to date, the greatest progress in tackling social
determinants has occurred in high-income countries, the Commission will
focus especially on identifying and promoting policies applicable in
developing countries, where the adverse health effects of social
WONCA
News
REGIONAL NEWS/HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEM NEWS
9
The Conference will be organized
in the island Kos, the birthplace of
Hippocrates. Kos is a place where
antiquity and modern civilisation
find themselves in unison. The
island of Kos is situated in the
southeastern region of the Aegean
Sea and is the third largest
(295 sq. m.) of the Dodecanese
Islands. Kos is an island of magni-
ficent beauty also described as the
jewel of the Greek Islands. Besides
its breath taking golden sandy
beaches, Kos is also full of ancient
monuments, remnants from its
glorious past. Kos is the site of the
famous Hippocrates’ Plane tree,
where the father of modern
Medicine used to teach and practice
medicine. This is considered to be
the oldest tree in Europe. It is also
home to the Asclepion of Kos, a
temple dedicated to the Asclepios,
the god protector of health in
ancient Greece. The island’s mild
climate, among the finest in the
Mediterranean, is the primary reason
for the island’s abundant green and
other physical charms. No wonder
that people call it “the garden of the
Aegean”.
To learn more about the 2005
Europen Regional Conference and
to register online, please visit
our web site at
http://www.woncaeurope2005.org/.
Additional contact information is
available in this issue under “Global
Meetings for the Family Doctor”.
We are waiting to welcome you
to our beautiful country so that we
could offer our hospitality, always
under the gaze of Zeus, protector of
guests according to the ancient
Greek tradition.
Bodossakis-Prodromos R.Merkouris
Chairman, Host Organizing
Committee
Greek Association of General
Practitioners
10
WONCA
News
HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEM NEWS
determinants are greatest. Overcoming these social
barriers represents a prime opportunity to reduce global
health inequalities and ensure that health gains are
sustainable over time.
The Commission will focus the attention of the
world’s top experts and researchers on specific social
determinants such as urban settings, social exclusion,
and employment conditions. These “Knowledge
Networks” will push the limits of current information to
better define the links between social determinants and
health, particularly in developing countries.
The Commission on Social Determinants of Health
will work with national authorities to incorporate social
determinants approaches into efforts to meet the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs
recognize the interdependence of health and other
social conditions, and present an opportunity to
promote health policies that tackle the social roots of
unfair and avoidable human suffering.
Further information on the Commission may be
found on the WHO website at:
www.who.int/social_determinants/en/
Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control Becomes International Law
On February 27, 2005, the world’s first public health
treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(FCTC), became law in 40 countries. The treaty
represents the first coordinated global effort to reduce
tobacco use, which is the world’s leading preventable
cause of death. It requires countries that have ratified it
to implement scientifically proven measures to reduce
tobacco use and its terrible toll in health, lives and
money.
Tobacco is truly a global problem. Some five million
people die from tobacco-caused diseases each year. If
current trends continue, this figure will rise to 10 million
per year by the year 2030, with 70 percent of those
deaths occurring in developing countries. Just as
infectious diseases know no political boundaries,
leaving individual countries incapable of effectively
containing them, the tobacco epidemic also requires
international cooperation if it is to be controlled.
The objective of the FCTC is “to protect present and
future generations from the devastating health, social,
environmental and economic consequences of tobacco
consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.” This
legally binding treaty gives nations powerful new tools
to protect the health of their citizens from the tobacco
industry’s deceptions and slick marketing.
The treaty commits countries to:
•Ban all tobacco advertising, promotion and
sponsorship (with an exception for nations with
constitutional constraints).
•Place large, graphic health warnings on cigarette
packs.
•Implement measures to protect non-smokers from
secondhand smoke.
•Increase the price of tobacco products, which
reduces smoking among both youth and adults.
•Combat cigarette smuggling.
•Regulate the content of tobacco products.
The FCTC has already contributed to a huge change in
public perceptions about tobacco and the necessity of
passing and enforcing strong laws and regulations to
control its use. In addition to the specific benefits of the
Convention, the process leading to the passage of the
FCTC has already:
•Given new impetus to efforts to enact or strengthen
national legislation and action to control the harm
caused by tobacco.
•Helped mobilize national and global technical and
financial support for tobacco control.
•Brought new ministries, including those dealing with
foreign affairs and finance, more deeply into the
tobacco control effort.
•Mobilized non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
and other members of civil society in support of
stronger tobacco control.
•Raised public awareness of marketing tactics used by
multinational tobacco companies.
Signaling strong international support for the treaty,
167 nations have signed the FCTC and, as of February
27th, 57 countries have ratified it. It is imperative that
countries who sign the treaty then ratify and begin
implementing the treaty domestically and internationally.
If widely ratified and effectively implemented, the FCTC
will be a fundamental turning point in reducing tobacco
use and its devastating consequences around the world.
An up-to-date list showing the present status of
signature/ratification can be found online at
www.globalink.org
In order to support the development of a strong
FCTC and combat tobacco industry disinformation, an
alliance of non-governmental organizations from around
the world has been formed. Now comprising more than
200 groups from more than 90 countries, the Framework
Convention Alliance (FCA) is playing a key role in
educating policymakers and strengthening cooperation
across borders.
11
WONCA
News
MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS
MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS
MEET PROFESSOR MICHAEL KIDD:
WONCA EXECUTIVE MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Michael Kidd, elected to the Wonca Executive as
Member-at-Large during the 2004 Wonca World Council
Meeting in Orlando, Florida, USA, is Professor of
General Practice and Head of the Discipline of General
Practice at The University of Sydney in Australia. He
works as a general practitioner in the inner-city suburb
of Darlinghurst in Sydney. He is the current President of
the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
His major clinical interests are in the management of
HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C in general practice and primary
health care. He is a past chair of the Australian
Government’s National HIV/AIDS Advisory Committee.
Professor Michael Kidd,
Wonca Executive Member-at-Large
Professor Kidd has a Doctorate of Medicine in
Medical Education. His research and education interests
include the use of information technology to improve
patient care in general practice, the development of
computer-based medical education, and the use of the
Internet in health education.
He is the author of the chapters on “The computer in
the consultation” and “HIV/AIDS in primary care” in the
recently published Oxford Textbook of Primary Medical
Care.
In addition to serving as Member-at-Large with the
Wonca Executive, Professor Kidd is also the convenor of
the Informatics Working Party of WONCA.
Malta College of Family Doctors Holds
General Practice Teacher’s Course
Following Malta’s accession to the European Union
on 1st May 2004, EU Directive 93/16 obliges the
introduction of Specialist Vocational Training in Family
Medicine in Malta. As a member of the Specialist
Accreditation Committee within the Ministry of Health,
the Malta College of Family Doctors (MCFD) is
responsible for the development of a Specialist Training
Programme in Family Medicine. In preparation for this
programme, the MCFD, in collaboration with the
International Committee of the Royal College of General
Practitioners (RCGP), organised its second ‘International
Course for Teachers of General Practice’.
An introductory module was held on 24 April 2004 at
the Forum Hotel, St Andrew’s, Malta. This was tutored
and organised by Dr Doreen Cassar and Dr Mario R
Sammut, with the support of Dr Philip Sciortino and Dr
Pierre Mallia, all four of whom had completed previous
Teachers’ Courses. During this orientation one-day
workshop, participants were introduced to educational
concepts (learning requisites and styles) and reflective
practice. They completed a reflective diary on how they
felt and responded to the orientation day.
The second and third modules of the course took
place on the 17-21 May 2004 at the Forum Hotel,
St Andrew’s, and on the 18-22 October 2004 at the
Dolmen Resort Hotel, Qawra, Malta. Professor Rosslynne
Freeman and Dr Marek Jezierski from the RCGP assisted
Drs. Cassar, Sammut, Sciortino, and Mallia in teaching
these modules.
The second module covered learning cycles, one-to-
one teaching, small group teaching, and formative and
summative assessment. The third module focused on
curriculum design for the GP training year; the
preparation of a 10-minute teaching presentation; the
recording of a video consultation; the preparation of a
5-minute presentation on something read that prompted
further thought and reflection; the holding of large and
small group meetings. The highlight of this final module
was an afternoon of tutorials with medical students
where each participant had the chance to experience
one-to-one counselling with a student.
A commemorative group photo, taken at the end of the MCFD-RCGP
Teachers’ Course 2004, of the participants with the tutors Prof.
Rosslynne Freeman (back row, fifth from right) and Dr Marek Jezierski
(front row, fourth from right) and the co-tutors Dr Doreen Cassar (front
row, third from left) and Dr Mario R Sammut (back row, second from
left).
WONCA
News
MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS
12
MCFD President Dr Pierre Mallia presented
certificates of successful course completion to the 14
participants: Drs. Jurgen Abela, Diana Balzan, Jason J
Bonnici, Ron Borg, Anton Bugeja, Noel Caruana, Saviour
Cilia, Josianne Cutajar, Patricia De Gabriele, Alessandra
Falzon Camilleri, Mark Rosso, Daniel Sammut, Zaid
Teebi and Andrew P Zammit.
Mario R Sammut MD MScH DipHSc
Secretary for Education
Malta College of Family Doctors
mrsammut@rocketmail.com
Wonca’s February Global Doctor of the
Month is Dr Cynthia Haq
Cynthia Haq is Professor of Family Medicine and
Population Health Sciences, and Director of the Global
Health Program at the University of Wisconsin (UW)
Medical School. She received her M.D. at Indiana
University, completed her residency training at the UW,
and joined the faculty of Dartmouth Medical School
before returning to Wisconsin. Early in her career she
served as the medical director for a rural health center
in Kasangati, Uganda, where she learned the importance
of community based primary health care. Subsequently
she served as a Fulbright Scholar at the Aga Khan
University in Karachi, Pakistan, where she worked with
Dr. John Bryant and colleagues to establish the first
family medicine post-graduate training program in
Pakistan. This program is now considered one of the
leading family medicine training programs in South Asia.
At the UW, Dr. Haq served as the Director of Medical
Student Education for the Department of Family
Medicine from 1995 through 2003. She helped establish
the state-wide, community based primary care clerkship
involving a network of more than three hundred
community based primary care physicians. The core
curriculum for the clerkship is now entirely web-based.
She directed an International Health Fellowship Program
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense involving
four U.S. universities and eight universities in Africa,
Asia and Latin America. She maintains an active full-
scope family practice in Belleville, Wisconsin, a rural
community family practice teaching site.
Dr. Haq served as a consultant to the World Health
Organization and World Organization of Family Doctors,
to coauthor the book, Improving Health Systems: the
Contribution of Family Medicine, published in 2002.
This book is being used to help nations and medical
schools to strengthen their medical education and
health systems based on a strong foundation of
community based primary health care. Dr. Haq has also
served as a consultant to medical schools and
governments in the United States, Central and South
America, Africa and Asia.
(Editor’s Note; The “Global Family Doctor of the
Month” Award is an award to encourage philanthropy
among primary care practitioners and to honour doctors
giving their time and expertise to their global colleagues
and their patients. The award is given to doctors who
are recognised by their colleagues as having contributed
significantly to the community in which they work by
way of their practice, community involvement, charity
work or other humanitarian acts.
Each Award winner is given a letter of
congratulations from the Wonca CEO, an award
certificate and a complete office diagnostic set from
Welch Allyn worth approximately $400.
Submission Requirements include:
1.Title and Full Name of nominee.
2.Photo of nominee. The winner and his/her photo
would be featured on Wonca’s website
www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com
3.Postal address of nominee.
4.Reasons for nomination for the Award.
5.Brief resume or CV of the nominee
6.Any other relevant information that would assist
Wonca in the selection process.
Please submit nominations for this monthly Award to
Dr Alfred Loh, CEO of Wonca at the Wonca Secretariat
via email admin@wonca.com.sg for consideration)
RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR
OUR ‘NEW-LOOK’ GLOBAL FAMILY DOCTOR - WONCA
ONLINE
If you are a new visitor to our Wonca web, www.GlobalFamilyDoctor,
please take the time to browse and learn something about our organization,
our mission and what our website can do to help you. If you are a regular
user, I hope you will find the website much easier to use and to navigate
around. Global Family Doctor is now running on our own server and the site
is being progressively redeveloped using the latest in programming
technology to give you faster loading and easier navigation. You will notice
the new navigation bar and menu design at the top and left of this new
front page; the navigation bar will eventually be placed on all pages of the
site.
All past and new items in Journal Watch and Clinical Reviews are now on
a searchable database. Over 3,700 items, accumulated over three years, can
be searched by date, period and category, and, later by keywords.
Once the site is settled in, we will begin the task of building a library of
online educational materials, which I hope to source from our larger
Member Organisations, mostly for the benefit of Family Physicians/General
Practitioners in areas where CME is difficult or impossible to access. Our
CEO, Dr Alfred Loh, has made good progress in gaining financial support
from sponsors for this work and you will soon see the beginnings of the
Wonca Online Educational Resource Centre. This will become an increasingly
important part of Wonca’s global mission to improve educational resources
and opportunities for family doctors all over the world.
This front page will have space for news and announcements, as well as
acknowledgement of our financial supporters.
Professor Wes Fabb has assumed the responsibility of Medical Editor of
the website and our new webmaster is Alex Westcott. This is an exciting
time for Wonca-Online and should provide the basis for an expanding range
of options and services for our Individual Members as well as our Member
Organisations. I would welcome your comments and suggestions – please
send them to Alex at webmaster@globalfamilydoctor.com or to me at
geoff.martin@bmpconsulting.com
Geoff Martin
Chair, Publications & Communications,
Wonca – the World Organization of Family Doctors
13
WONCA
News
RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR
Keeping up-to-date
Through GFD
Read Journal Watch and Clinical
Reviews and stay up-to-date
clinically in just a few minutes. How
realistic is this claim?
We know that there are
thousands of articles published each
month in hundreds of medical
journals. No-one could read them all
– no-one could even scan the titles.
So on the face of it, keeping-up
looks impossible. That’s what we’ve
always believed.
But how many of these
thousands of articles are relevant to
family doctors? The answer, from our
experience over the last three years,
is ‘not all that many’.
Global Family Doctor’s small staff
of family physicians scan the
contents of each issue of over 100
online family medicine, general and
specialist journals and medical news
services – over 4,000 titles every
month – looking for articles of
interest to family doctors and
relevant to their work. Our
surprising discovery has been that
of all these thousands of articles on
clinical, epidemiological and health
services research, and reviews of
clinical conditions, only a small
handful are relevant to family
doctors – around 25 per week.
So if GFD users scan this handful
of articles, keeping up is possible.
But since busy clinicians themselves
don’t have the time to scan the
journals to find the relevant articles,
GFD staff do this on their behalf,
and then prepare brief synopses for
Journal Watch and Clinical Reviews.
Each item in Journal Watch is
summarized into three paragraphs.
The first indicates why the research
was done, who did it and where,
the research methods, the sample,
WONCA
News
RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR
and the outcomes measured. The second paragraph
gives the results. The third gives the conclusions,
verbatim. The full citation is provided, with hyperlinks
to the original article, as well as the ICPC classification
of the article and the keywords that can be used for
searching for it in the archives. The most important
sentences are highlighted in red. The title of each item
attempts to capture the ‘bottom line’. For each Clinical
Review there is a brief introduction, and a hyperlink to
the full online review.
Three days each week – Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays – six or seven items in Journal Watch and
two Clinical Reviews are posted on GFD – about 100
items per month. The titles are featured on the
homepage, and notified via Journal Alerts, a free email
alert service provided by Wonca. You can enroll at the
top right corner of the Global Family Doctor homepage.
There is now a rich archive of almost 4,000 items,
posted on GFD over the past three years. The most
recent can be accessed from the ‘buttons’ on the
homepage. When GFD’s new search facility is ready,
all past items will be searchable via date, ICPC
classification and keywords.
So it is now possible to keep up-to-date clinically
via Global Family Doctor - Wonca Online - http://
www.globalfamilydoctor.com
We spend days scanning the journals, so you need
take only minutes.
Professor Wes Fabb
Medical Editor, Global Family Doctor - Wonca Online
Preparing a Health Care Workforce for
the 21st Century: The Challenge of
Chronic Conditions
This publication calls for the transformation of
healthcare workforce training to better meet the needs
of caring for patients with chronic conditions,
predicated upon the rapid escalation in chronic health
problems around the world. To provide effective care
for chronic conditions, the skills of health professionals
must be expanded to meet these new complexities.
The report, published in February 2005, presents a
new, expanded training model, based on a set of core
competencies that apply to all members of the
workforce. This model has been endorsed by the World
Medical Association (WMA), International Council of
Nurses (ICN), International Pharmaceutical Federation
(FIP), European Respiratory Society (ERS), International
Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO) and others.
Around the world, the rapidly shifting balance
between acute and chronic health problems is placing
new and different demands on the health care
workforce. There is general consensus that to provide
effective health care for chronic conditions, the skills of
health professionals must be expanded to meet these
new complexities. This expansion does not invalidate
the need for existing competencies, such as the practice
of evidence-based and ethical care. Rather, it under-
scores the growing need for new competencies to
complement existing ones.
First, the workforce needs to organize care around
the patient and provide a patient-centred approach.
Second, providers need the communication skills that
enable them to collaborate with others to improve
outcomes for patients with chronic conditions. Third, the
workforce needs skills to ensure that the safety and
quality of patient care is continuously improved. Fourth,
the workforce needs skills that assist them in
monitoring patients across time, and using and sharing
information through available technology. Finally, the
workforce needs to consider patient care and the
provider’s role in that care from the broadest
perspective, including population-based care, the
multiple levels of the health care system and the care
continuum.
These abilities and skills are reflected in five basic
competencies that apply to all members of the
workforce caring for patients with chronic health
problems: 1) patient-centred care, 2) partnering,
3) quality improvement, 4) information and
communication technology, and 5) public health
perspective. Within the main body of this publication,
each competency is described in detail and
supplemented with diverse country examples of how it
has been implemented.....”
This publication was produced by the
Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Cluster,
Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion Department, of
the World Health Organization.
This 65 page publication is available online as a PDF
file at www.who.int/chronic_conditions/resources/
enworkforce_report.pdf
14
WONCA
News
CONFERENCES 2005 – 2010
15
WONCA CONFERENCE 2005 – 2010 AT A GLANCE
See Wonca Website www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com for upates
2005
Region
Venue
Theme
27 – 31 May
Asia Pacific
Kyoto
Family Fractice/ General Practice – As a
Regional Conference
JAPAN
Global Standard
3 – 7 Sept
European
Kos Island
GREECE
From Hippocrates to the Human
Regional Conference
Genome: The Past, Present and Future
of General Practice/Family Medicine
2006
27 – 31 Aug
European
Florence
ITALY
Towards Medical Renaissance:
Regional Conference
Between Biology and the Humanities
8 – 15 Sept
7th Rural Health
Seattle
Transforming Rural Practice
Conference
Washington
Through Education
USA
4 – 9 Nov
Asia Pacific
Bangkok
THAILAND
Happy and Healthy Family
Regional Conference
2007
24 – 28 July
18th WONCA
SINGAPORE
Human Genomics and its Impact on Family
World Conference
Physicians
17 – 21 Oct
European
Paris
Rethinking Primary Care in the European
Regional
FRANCE
Context: A New Challenge for General
Conference
Practice
2008
Date to be
Asia Pacific
Melbourne
Theme to be confirmed
confirmed
Regional
AUSTRALIA
Conference
2009
5 – 8 Jun
Asia Pacific
Hong Kong
Building Bridges
Regional
Conference
2010
26 – 30 May
19
th
WONCA
Cancun
Millennium Development Goals:
World Conference
MEXICO
The Contribution of Family Medicine
Information correct as at January 2005.
May be subject to change.
16
WONCA
News
GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR
GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR
WONCA WORLD AND REGIONAL
CONFERENCE CALENDAR
Asia Pacific Regional Conference, Japan 2005
Host:Japanese Academy of Primary Care Physicians
Theme:Family Practice/General Practice – As a Global
Standard
Date:27 – 31 May, 2005
Venue:Kyoto, Japan
Contact:The Japanese Academy of Primary Care Physicians
Tokyo Medical Association Bldg 302
2-5, Kandasurugadai Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 101-0062 Japan
Tel:81 3 5281 9781
Fax:81 3 5281 9780
Email:pc@primary-care.or.jp
Wonca Europe Regional Conference, Kos Island 2005
Host:Greek Association of General Practitioners
Theme:From Hippocrates to the Human Genome:
The Past, Present and Future of General Practice/
Family Medicine
Date:3 – 7 September, 2005
Venue:Island of Kos, Greece
Contact:The Greek Association of GPs (Elegeia)
Mr. Raoul Merkouris
21, N.Kountourioti Str. (5th floor)
54625-Thessaloniki
Greece
Tel:30 2310 550048, +30 2310 539995
Fax:30 2310 539995
Email:elegeia@woncaeurope2005.org
Web:http://www.woncaeurope2005.org
Wonca Europe Regional Conference, Florence 2006
Host:CSERMEG
Theme:Towards Medical Renaissance
Date:27 – 30 August, 2006
Venue:Florence, Italy
Contact:OICsrl
Viale Matteotti 7
50121 Florence, Italy
Tel:+39 0555 0351
Fax:+39 0555 001912
Email:wonca2006@oic.it
Web:http://www.woncaeurope2006.org
Wonca 7
th
Rural Health Conference, Seattle-Anchorage 2006
Host:Wonca Rural Health Working Party
Theme:Transforming Rural Practice Through Education
Date:8 – 15 September, 2006
Venue:Sept 8 – 10 – Wonca Rural Conference
University of Washington campus
Sept 11-13, 34
th
Annual Advances in Family Practice
University of Washington campus
Sept 13 – 15, Post Conference
Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
Anchorage, Alaska
15
th
Wonca Asia Pacific Regional Conference, Bangkok 2006
Host:General Practitioners/Family Physicians Assoc,
Thailand
College of Family Physicians, Singapore
Theme:Happy and Healthy Family
Date:November 5 – 9, 2006
Venue:Sofitel Central Plaza and Bangkok Convention
Centre
Contact:Dr Kachit Choopanya, Chairman,
Host Organizing Committee
10
th
Floor, Royal Golden Jubilee Building
2 Soi Soonvijai
New Petchaburi Road
Bangkok, Thailand 10320
Tel:66(0) 2716 6651
Fax:66(0) 2716 6651
Web:www.thaifammed.org
18
th
Wonca World Conference, Singapore 2007
Host:College of Family Physicians, Singapore
Theme:Human Genomics and its Impact on Family
Physicians
Date:24 – 28 July, 2007
Venue:Singapore International Convention and
Exhibition Centre
Contact:Dr Tan See Leng, Chairman,
Host Organizing Committee
College of Family Physicians, Singapore
College of Medicine Building
16 College Road #10-02
Singapore 169854
Tel:65 6223 0606
Fax:65 6222 0204
Email:contact@cfps.org.sg
Web:www.wonca2007.com
Wonca Europe Regional Conference, Paris, 2007
Host:French National College of Teachers in General
Practice
Theme:Rethinking Primary Care in the European Context
Date:17 – 21 October, 2007
Venue:Palais des Congres
Paris, France
Contact:French National College of Teachers in General
Practice
6 rue des 2 communes
94300 Vincennes
Tel:33-153 669 180
Email:cnge@cnge.fr
17
WONCA
News
GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR
Web:www.cnge.fr
19
th
Wonca World Conference, Cancun 2010
Host:Mexican College of Family Medicine
Theme:Millennium Develop Goals:
The Contribution of Family Medicine
Date:26 – 30 May, 2010
Venue:Cancun Conventions and Exhibition Center, Cancun
Mexico
Contact:Mexican College of Family Medicine
Anahuac #60
Colonia Roma Sur
06760 Mexico, D.F.
Tel:52-55 5574
Fax:52-55 5387
Email:javier.dominguez@unfpa.org.mx
MEMBER ORGANIZATION AND RELATED MEETINGS
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practice
Conference, Christchurch 2005
Theme:New Horizons:Celebrate the Art of General Practice
Date:14 – 16 July 2005
Venue:Christchurch Convention Centre
Contact:www.rnzcgp.org.nz/conferences
14th Nordic Conference of General Practice, Stockholm
2005
Host:Swedish Association of General Practice and
Family Medicine Centre
Theme:General Practice in a Changing World
Date:June 15 – 18, 2005
Venue:Hotel Rote Wand in Lech am Arlberg, Austria
Contact:Anne Thorell
Centre of Family Medicine
Phone:+46 (0)73-682 55 39
Email:Anne.thorell@klinvet.ki.se
Web:www.allmanmedicin.nu/congress/menu.htm
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)
Spring Symposium, Blackpool 2005
Theme:General Practice for a Cosmopolitan Age
Date:8-10 April 2005
Venue:Bournemouth, United Kingdom
Contact:Alison Sage
Wessex Faculty
Royal College of General Practitioners
Andover War Memorial Hospital
Charlton Road
Andover Hants SP10 3LB
Phone:01264 355005
Fax:01264 355115
Email:spring2004wsx@rcgp.org.uk
Web:www.blackpool2005.com/
The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM)
38
th
Annual Spring Conference, New Orleans 2005
Date:30 April – 4 May, 2005
Venue:New Orleans Marriot Hotel
Contact:Priscilla Noland
STFM
11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway
Leawood, KS, 66211-2672, USA
Tel:1 800 274 2237, ext. 5410
Fax:1 816 906 6096
Email:assndfm@stfm.org
Web:http://www.stfm.org
Association of Health Care Professionals (AHCP)
16
th
Conference, London 2005
Theme:Advances in Family Medicine/General Practice
Date:20 – 23 August, 2005
Venue:London, England, UK.
Contact:Secretariat,
AHCP
P. O Box 18265
London EC2A 3TT
England, UK
Tel:44 20 7749 7243
Fax:44 20 7739 8683
Email:info@ahcp.org.uk
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
Annual Scientific Assembly, San Francisco 2005
Date:28 September – 2 October, 2005
Venue:San Francisco, California
Contact:AAFP
11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway
Leawood, Kansas 66211-2672, USA
Tel:1 913 906 6000
Fax:1 913 906 6075
Email:international@aafp.org
Web:http://www.aafp.org
College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
Family Medicine Forum, Vancouver 2005
Date:8 – 11 December, 2005
Venue:Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Contact:Joanne Langevin, Meetings Manager
Cheryl Selig, Registration Coordinator
2630 Skymark Avenue, Mississauga,
Ontario, Canada L4W 5A4
Tel:905 629 0900 / 1 800 387 6197
Fax:905 629 0893
Email:info@cfpc.ca
Web:www.cfpc.ca
13
th
World Conference on Smoking or Health, Washington, DC
2006
Theme:Building Capacity for a Tobacco-Free World
Date:12 – 15 July, 2006
Venue:Renaissance DC Hotel
Washington, D.C., USA
Contact:John Seffrin, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
American Cancer Society
Email:secretariat2006@cancer.org
Web:http://www.2006conferences.org/
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