WONCA News

October, 2020

A perspective from Dr David Ponka. David is a family physician in Ottawa, Canada, and the Director of the Besrour Centre for Global Family Medicine at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. He has three daughters who are now back to school after testing negative for COVID-19. Une traduction en français est disponible.

October, 2020

Education for Primary Care: Issue 31:5 is now on line with the usual wide range of articles. Free access for a month is available for an article on “The design and delivery of a social prescribing scheme by medical students in general practice.”

October, 2020

WONCA is pleased to join as an inaugural member of Allies Improving PHC, an exciting alliance of global and local organizations committed to unlocking the full promise of primary health care (PHC) on the road to health for all.

October, 2020

The new elected executive members of The Rajakumar Movement (Young Doctors' Movement in Asia Pacific Region). They will commence office at the next WONCA World council meeting.

October, 2020

We have switched to a totally virtual conference with a changed time frame. December 16 -19, 2020. Find out more here.

October, 2020

A new pledge, which is broader in scope and audience and engages not only doctors but all health professionals in protecting the health of people and planet.

October, 2020

The postponed 17th WONCA World Rural Conference which was due to be held in April this year in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is now happening in a virtual capacity this weekend October 16th-18th.

September, 2020

Life as President of WONCA usually involves juggling regional visits with ongoing work commitments; trying to fit in as many conferences and meetings as possible, to share experience and give encouragement to all our members in every region of the world. I am delighted that so much interaction continues, albeit virtually. I have been really pleased to be invited to speak at numerous conferences, sessions and meetings since the COVID pandemic started – and I will continue to accept such invitations as and when I can.

September, 2020

In 1988, as a newly assigned coordinator of the Human Resources for Health program at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, I met the then WONCA President and liaison officer with WHO, Dr M K Rajakumar, from Malaysia. In his frank style, his first words were: “We often meet and talk at WHO but never do things together”! I boomeranged to him: “OK, let’s start doing things”!

September, 2020

Dr John Wynn-Jones is well known in WONCA circles and immediate past chair of the WONCA Working Party on Rural Practice. During the COVID-19 crisis he has been writing a daily 'Rural Miscellany' email with poems and resource ideas to help and divert us in this difficult time. This month we feature his item on "flowers".