VOL 47 | NUMBER 9
NEWS
2021
N O V E M B E R
WONCA PRESIDENT DR DONALD LI (HONG KONG, CHINA) EMAIL: PRESIDENT@WONCA.NET TWITTER: @WONCLI PRESIDENT-ELECT DR ANNA STAVDAL (NORWAY) EXECUTIVE MEMBER AT LARGE & HONORARY TREASURER PROF VAL WASS (UK)
CONTENT
EXECUTIVE MEMBER AT LARGE & WHO LIAISON PERSON DR VIVIANA MARTINEZ- BIANCHI (USA/ARGENTINA)
FROM THE PRESIDENT
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FROM THE EDITOR
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EXECUTIVE MEMBER AT LARGE DR PRATYUSH KUMAR (INDIA)
PRESIDENT'S REPORT
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REGIONAL PRESIDENT, WONCA AFRICA PROF SHABIR MOOSA (SOUTH AFRICA)
WONCA ANNUAL REPORT
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WONCA WORLD CONFERENCE 2021
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WONCA CONFERENCES
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REGIONAL PRESIDENT, WONCA ASIA PACIFIC PROF MENG-CHIH LEE (TAIWAN) REGIONAL PRESIDENT WONCA EAST MEDITERRANEAN 2021 PROF TAGHREED MOHAMED FARAHAT (EGYPT) REGIONAL PRESIDENT, WONCA EUROPE PROF SHLOMO VINKER (ISRAEL) REGIONAL PRESIDENT, WONCA IBEROAMERICANACIMF ADJ/PROF JACQUELINE PONZO (URUGUAY) REGIONAL PRESIDENT, WONCA NORTH AMERICA PROF MARVIN REID (JAMAICA) REGIONAL PRESIDENT, WONCA SOUTH ASIA DR RAMAN KUMAR (INDIA) YOUNG DOCTOR REPRESENTATIVE DR ANA NUNES BARATA (PORTUGAL) WONCA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DR HARRIS LYGIDAKIS WONCA WORLD SECRETARIAT WORLD ORGANIZATION OF FAMILY DOCTORS AVENUE DES ARTS 7-8 1210 BRUSSELS BELGIUM EMAIL: SECRETARIAT@WONCA.NET PHONE: +32 (0) 2 329 00 75 WONCA EDITOR MARIA DOLORES ZAVALA EMAIL: EDITOR@WONCA.NET TRANSLATIONS DR JIE GU DR HUA YANG DR JULIEN ARTIGNY
TRIENNIUM 2018- 2021
27TH WONCA EUROPE CONFERENCE LONDON 2022. WONCA WORLD RURAL HEALTH CONFERENCE LIMERICK 2022
WONCA ACTION CALL COP26
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RURAL SEEDS: “FOOTPRINT”, SELECTED FOR THE MOBILE FILM FESTIVAL
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FEATURED STORIES
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IF HEALTH SYSTEMS COULD TALK: ILLUMINATING THE VITAL SIGNS OF STRONG PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES
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FROM THE PRESIDENT NOVEMBER 2021
THE FINAL COLUMN
F R O M
By the time WONCA News November edition is published, all of us will be making final preparations for our World Council meeting and our Conference. The few weeks before Council can sometimes be relatively quiet – all the hard work of preparing the agenda and ensuring papers are ready to be sent to our Member Organisation representatives has already happened. This Council meeting is different to all previous WONCA Council meetings and we have to assume that arrangements will still be getting tweaked right up to the day of the meeting, to ensure that it runs smoothly.
T H E P R E S I D E N T
This is my final column as President. It has been an interesting and eventful Presidency: with far fewer travels to national and regional conferences but far more interaction with national and regional colleagues through virtual meetings. We were lucky that our Executive had the opportunity to meet in person twice in 2019, before the pandemic. But as all of you will be very aware from your own experiences, meeting virtually is simply not the same and not as effective as faceto-face meetings. I want to thank those Executive members who supported the governance and conventions of WONCA – and, in doing so, supported me as President and Anna Stavdal as President-Elect. Being open to change is a strength in an organisation; paying respect to the Organisation’s history and ethos is equally important.
The role of President calls for leadership; to accommodate, to direct, to mitigate, to be inclusive, to try to understand the different cultures and values of representatives coming from all over the world, and to ensure that the work of WONCA carries on despite upsetting moments. I urge members of the incoming Executive not to lose sight of the reasons behind our Bylaws and Organisational Policies. As the regional Presidents and Members At Large elected by all our Member Organisations undertake their roles on your behalf, I also urge our incoming Executive to respect the offices of President and President-Elect. During the course of my Presidency the world changed and we changed with it. We responded to the pandemic by trying new and different ways of ensuring our patients got the care they needed. Most routine illnesses and diseases did not simply stop during the pandemic – though there was less uptake of services as people and health systems prioritized those who had COVID-19. Chronic illnesses and diseases continued and some were made worse by the isolation required to protect people from the worst effects of COVID. The backlog of patients with unspecified or undiagnosed illnesses and diseases is only slowly becoming apparent – and this is the next challenge to face us as family doctors. Some of our new ways of working are working well and will become part of our normal practice. Others are less successful or less appreciated. We need to manage both our resources and our patients’ expectations during the coming months. PAGE 3
FROM THE PRESIDENT
As an organization, one of WONCA’s greatest strengths is its ability to quickly share experience, research and practice among all our members. The extent to which individuals get involved in WONCA is entirely up to each member. I am really delighted to report that our engagement levels soared during the worst of the COVID pandemic and I hope that the value of that engagement will encourage continued collaboration into the future. Sharing and developing skills, resources and research findings – and undertaking collaborative research across nations and regions – feeds into the evidence supporting expansion of comprehensive primary care.
F R O M
The ability of the Coronavirus to mutate means that we will never return to our previous world. We will continue to adapt to meet the needs of a changed world. We know our patients are, on the one hand, keen to return to relative normality and, on the other hand, many are anxious about the threats and risks posed by exposure through more normalised activity. The hesitancy to fully resume normal life is understandable for many: the urge to do so equally understandable. We will develop ways to manage the differing approaches and to acknowledge that different ways of delivering comprehensive primary care are necessary.
I look forward to meeting with you, albeit virtually, during Council and I look forward to a productive few days. I also look forward to our virtual Conference, immediately after Council, where we can look forward to a range of insightful and inspirational talks and sessions. I will not be able to mingle and greet you as I would have done in usual circumstances of Conference. But please be assured that I appreciate your support and I wish all of you well, as I come to the end of an unforgettable Presidency.
DR DONALD LI WONCA PRESIDENT
Also available in: Español
中文
T H E P R E S I D E N T
Our World Council, as agreed at our Extraordinary General Meeting of Council in June this year, will be completely virtual. This is not what any of us wanted – we may as well acknowledge that. But we will make the best of it. As we meet across three days – from 19th to 21st November, between 10.00 and 15.00 UTC – I encourage our Member Organisations to participate as much as possible. This is your Council. All Member Organisation official representatives were sent on, 19th October, the agenda and papers (with links to relevant video presentations). Your involvement is key to our work for the coming biennium.
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WONCA NEWS
F R O M T H E E D I T O R
WELCOME TO WONCA NEWS NOVEMBER!
This issue represents a special edition dedicated to our President, Dr Donald Li, whose term ends this month after the WONCA World Conference 2021. In this edition, we include Dr Donald Li’s last column as President of WONCA. We also share his triennium report, which gathers all the activities, events, achievements and challenges throughout the years as head of our organisation. On behalf of all the WONCA family, the words in this editorial cannot be more than a warm “thank you” for his commitment, leadership and impeccable performance throughout these last (and adverse) years. Thank you for positively impacting our organisation and the world with your teachings and example. We are more than happy to have you as immediate past president. ABOUT THIS ISSUE
In addition to President Li’s latest column and the triennium report, WONCA News November includes crucial information related to WONCA World Conference 2021. Visit the #WONCA2021 official website to discover the list of experts, Program Highlights, Agenda, and much more!
This issue also contains information on our upcoming WONCA Europe Conference in London 2022 and the WONCA World Rural Health Conference 2022 in Limerick, Ireland. With COP26 taking place this week in Glasgow, Scotland, we are again sharing the WONCA Call to Action by the Working Party on Environment. In our Feature Stories, discover the short movie “Footprint”, created by Marco Ferreira and Mayara Floss from Rural Seeds. This one minute clip was selected for the Mobile Film Festival 2021 among 692 other films from 92 countries. In this issue, you will also find information about a new digital report created by the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI). The report, “If Health Systems Could Talk: Illuminating the Vital Signs of Strong Primary Health Care”, highlights data and lessons from the first 23 Vital Signs Profiles. To close this edition, do not miss out on the most recent announcements and updates from the WONCA Family.
Happy reading, and stay safe! Sincerely, Maria Dolores Zavala, WONCA Editor
I hope you enjoy this issue, and please remember that you can drop me a line (or an article!) at editor@wonca.net
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WONCA NEWS
PRESIDENT'S
REPORT
Español
中文
T R I E N N I U M
2018 - 2021 DR DONALD LI WONCA PRESIDENT 2018 - 2021
I think it is fair to say that this Presidency has been one of the most challenging times in WONCA’s history! When I took on the role in 2018, I anticipated numerous country and regional visits, to conferences and meetings; and participation in global events. My Presidency had to adapt rapidly with the onset of the global pandemic. The past two years have surely been the strangest any of us have experienced. The entire world has been put to the test like never before in our lifetimes. The COVID 19 pandemic has displaced plans, accelerated the adoption of new ways of doing things, changed the way we consult with our patients and, as ever, has seen Family Doctors and General Practitioners on the front line, continuing to deal with diagnosis, treatment and care of our patients. Huge gaps became all too apparent in our readiness and preparedness for global health challenges. Faced with a global threat and many unknowns, all of us have had to adapt, both personally and professionally, during the pandemic. This affected all of our work and shifted our activities from physical presence and face to face encounters to online meetings and additional screen presence. Over the years, our involvement with WHO has grown. We routinely field a senior WONCA team at annual World Health Assemblies; our Working Parties and Special Interest Groups are involved with WHO at global and regional levels; WONCA responds to multiple requests for input to WHO papers and events on a frequent basis – and often with a very quick response required.
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WONCA NEWS
WONCA & WHO signing a Memorandum of Understanding on 28th January 2019, during the annual Executive Board meeting of WHO in Geneva. Credit: WHO, 2019.
We appreciate that being asked for comments and inputs by WHO reflects the growing recognition within WHO of the need for comprehensive, qualified and accessible primary care delivery, to achieve the global goal of Universal Health Coverage. In 2018 and 2019 I was involved in a number of high level WHO meetings. In October 2018, along with the immediate past President, President-Elect, our Young Doctor representative on Executive and two Members At Large, I attended the launch of the Astana Declaration in Kazakhstan. And in January 2019, after increasingly detailed work between us, I was delighted to sign an MOU on behalf of WONCA with WHO. From previous surveys, we know how important our relationship and influence with WHO is for our members. So, it was also very encouraging to be asked to present on behalf of WONCA at a side event at the World Health Assembly in May 2019. Our collaboration with WHO continues and we continue to exert our influence on policy and implementation, particularly in relation to primary care-led health
systems, primary care teams and Universal Health Coverage, as well as a broad range of issues through our Working Parties and SIGs. In addition to my involvement in many WHO headquarters consultations, I was particularly pleased to be invited as a panellist on WPRO’s consultation on the future of primary care for WHO’s Western Pacific region.
Credit: WHO, 2019
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WONCA NEWS
The pandemic has proven just how important it is to speak out at every opportunity and use our voices and our numbers to influence developing global health policies. During the pandemic I was honoured to be invited by WHO to participate in numerous consultations and to be featured in webinars to share the experiences of family doctors as part of the primary healthcare team. Publications remain another voice that WONCA has used over the years and we continue to add to the WONCA series of publications on a number of topics including “How to do Primary Care Research”, “Primary Care Around the World”, and many others!
Looking at the positive side of the pandemic and the online globalisation it provided, WONCA launched a series of Webinars which generated a truly surprising and inspiring response. We did not expect participation to be so high or to remain so consistently high, with people participating on various platforms and from all over the world. We were also pleased that WHO officials found the WONCA webinars so useful, with officers and advisors joining many of the sessions
WONCA World Executive 2018-2020
The thirst for believable, trusted knowledge and sharing of experience was very obvious. Collaboration between our Working Parties and Special Interest Groups on topics which straddled various key issues was impressive. Our Working Parties and Special Interest Groups are the ground-breaking leaders within WONCA. The Working Party on eHealth has developed a dedicated assessment framework to evaluate digital health solutions from a family medicine perspective. The Working Party on Research has expertly addressed a wide range of issues of importance to the growth and development of family medicine globally. Donald Li wearing the chain of office at the presidential handover from Amanda Howe.
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WONCA NEWS
The Working Parties on Education and Quality and Safety have contributed both professional and academic standards and human resources to the two accreditation schemes. The range of topics covered by these groups is extensive and there is always room for people who are ready to offer their time and energy and expertise. I will leave each of them to speak for their achievements further in their reports.
Donald Li, newly inaugurated WONCA President, pictured with colleagues at the WONCA world conference Seoul. Credit: WONCA.
In spite of all the challenges, our regions have taken the challenge of the pandemic to do things differently and have responded in diverse and innovative ways to support each other, to provide learning and sharing opportunities and to build collaborations across the primary healthcare professions. Regional conferences continued to be held. Many of them were well-attended, interactive, with pre-recorded and live streams running simultaneously. Timing, of course, was a challenge, when participants are living and working in multiple time zones. But the thread is the same: family doctors across the world are keen and enthusiastic about building and sharing knowledge; about meeting and refreshing relationships with their global colleagues and friends, albeit virtually.
Unfortunately, the pandemic did not allow for much travel, so for much of the time as WONCA President, I was unable to visit and attend conferences and meetings across the globe, meeting you face to face and enjoying the wealth of skills and commitment of our members. But before the pandemic hit, I travelled to speak at a number of conferences, including in Canada, Africa and South Asia. I enjoyed being interviewed by Domhnall MacAuley, the Editor of the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) and have subsequently had an editorial published in BJGP.
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WONCA NEWS
I was invited to speak at numerous conferences, sessions, and meetings, albeit virtually. It was a delight to see so much interaction continue, despite all the challenges. I delivered talks to the Royal Australian College of GPs; a semFYC conference in Spain; the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine; to the Masters in Family Medicine Programme at Edinburgh University, to the North America Research Group, WONCA Europe (on new technology), the Global Forum on Heat and Health, a number of planetary health conferences – and the new course, the TUFH conference (Towards Unity for Health), and the 4th International PHC conference in Qatar.
I delivered opening addresses, virtually, to the World Rural Health conference, the Africa region conference, to the American Academy of Family Physicians meeting, to the AfroPHC conference, the Greek College, the Philippine Academy, Allies Improving PHC, the new planetary health course, South Asia region conference, Spanish conference, Turkish Association, World Federation of Mental Health, World Psychiatric Association and the New Zealand College, the Chinese Medical Doctors Association, the Chinese Medical Association and the CrossStraits Medical Exchange Association.
Virtual opening address at Chinese Medical Doctor’s Association Society of General Practice. Credit: @Woncli
World Family Doctor Day, 2021
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WONCA NEWS
I authored and co-authored numerous editorials and articles for Chinese, European and Hong Kong Journals. I am proud to have taken part in a number of different projects that WONCA has worked on and further developed during my term. The continued progress of the WONCA Accreditation Schemes is particularly pleasing. They have been robustly tested, refined, and implemented. Both the Programme Accreditation scheme and the Practice Accreditation scheme are being well received and proving popular in academic departments and in individual practices. Assessments for accreditation continued remotely throughout the pandemic and will be followed up with face-to-face visits to confirm accreditation status, when circumstances allow. There are increasing numbers of users of the freeto-access guidelines available on the WONCA website, available to all our members, which are often used for internal quality development purposes. Our digital accreditation is now also available for newly developed platforms relating to primary care. WONCA saw the end of an era at the end of 2020, with the retirement of WONCA’s long-time CEO, Garth Manning. I want to express my sincerest gratitude to Garth for his excellent work and commitment to the success of WONCA. We worked very closely together over the more than eight years of him being CEO. I know how much time, energy, and determination Garth has put into making WONCA what it is today. 2021 welcomed Harris Lygidakis who continued this important work, and picked up the baton from Garth, with the establishment of the new Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. Garth and Harris worked closely for a number of months, to ensure a safe and secure handover of WONCA business. In saying farewell to Garth, I also want to pay tribute to Nongluck Suwisith, outgoing CAO. Her love of WONCA and all things primary care-related were an inspiration. And I know we will miss seeing her and catching up with her at conferences. Thank you, Nongluck.
Dr Donald Li and Former WONCA CEO, Dr Garth Manning.
Dr Donald Li , President-Elect Dr Anna Stavdal and Former WONCA CEO, Dr Garth Manning.
WONCA team supporting YDM in Lahore WONCA SAR 2020
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WONCA NEWS
I am grateful to all of the Executive and especially to our President-Elect, Anna Stavdal, with whom I have worked so closely; to our current CEO, Harris Lygidakis, and the Secretariat team for their support. The move of the Secretariat from Bangkok to Brussels in the middle of pandemic was a challenge for both outgoing and incoming Secretariats and they handled it with real cooperation and collegiality. The new Secretariat continues to work hard in keeping the Organization functioning in such challenging circumstances.
THANK YOU TO EVERY COLLEAGUE, YOUR FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES AND YOUR FRIENDS FOR SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT DURING THIS TERM.
DR DONALD LI WONCA PRESIDENT 2018 - 2021
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WONCA NEWS
W O N C A A N N U A L
R E P O R T
DISCOVER THE WONCA ANNUAL REPORT 2020 – 2021
In this document, you will find an overview of WONCA's global activities and our main achievements from July 2020 to June 2021.
A N N U A L R E P O R T
In a year full of challenges, our Executive, Statutory Committees, Working Parties, Special Interest Groups, Young Doctors' Movements and colleagues from around the world continued their efforts to contribute to family medicine and the global mission of WONCA. To all those who belong to the WONCA family, we would like to thank you for your support, hard work, and dedication.
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We invite you to discover in detail the WONCA Annual Report 2020 – 2021. Read or download the complete document here. Read or download the WONCA Annual Report 2020 – 2021 HERE.
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WONCA NEWS
VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE
DISCOVER THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
REGISTER NOW PAGE 14
WONCA NEWS
W O N C A W O R L D
C O N F E R E N C E
W O N C A W O R L D C O N F E R E N C E
SEE COMPLETE LIST PAGE 15
WONCA NEWS
2 7 T H
W O N C A
E U R O P E
C O N F E R E N C E
Dear Friends and Colleagues, hello to you all! My name is Steve Mowle, and I am the Honorary Treasurer of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and I have the privilege to chair the Host Organising Committee for the 27th WONCA Europe conference in London in 2022.
W O N C A
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this exciting event which will be the first WONCA conference to be held face-to-face since the pandemic. The conference will give us all a chance to meet, discuss and implement positive change.
By welcoming you and hundreds of incredible family doctors and healthcare professionals from around the world to our amazing city, we’d really show that London is open to the very best scientific research, talent and creativity. We really do hope you will join us in 2022. London as a venue is lively, attractive, full of culture and excitement. And we learn better together, which is why we want you to join us next year! So see you in London in June 2022! Steve Mowle Chair of the Host Organising Committee
C O N F E R E N C E S
I invite you all to join us here in June 2022 in London, where history meets modern, ancient seats of learning and state-of-the-art technology sit side-by-side, where education, healthcare, culture and diversity are at our core.
WONCA CONFERENCES
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WONCA NEWS
W O N C A R U R A L
H E A L T H C O N F E R E N C E
W O N C A
Ireland has one of the highest rural-based populations in Europe with a million people living rurally and another million people living in small towns and villages. These figures appear to be on the increase as the new working arrangements triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have given many people new opportunities to live outside our major urban centres. This reverse of the depopulation of rural communities has also been triggered by the resilience of rural communities seen during the challenges of COVID-19 where generally lower levels of infection were seen.
C O N F E R E N C E S
“The resilience shown by rural and remote communities has been a testament to their inherent engagement, cohesiveness and flexibility. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated renewed vigour in re-imagining life on the periphery as a very attractive place for people and businesses to come, work and live,” said Professor Liam Glynn, chair of the organising committee for the WONCA World Rural Health Conference which is coming to Ireland for the first time and will take place on the University of Limerick parkland campus in Ireland’s Mid-West. The Irish College of General Practitioners, the University of Limerick School of Medicine, and the Rural, Island and Dispensing Doctors of Ireland, are hosting the conference in a unique joint partnership which now has an extensive list of collaborating organisations including WONCA, the World Organization of Family Doctors,
WONCA CONFERENCES
the Scottish Graduate Entry Medical Programme (ScotGEM); EURIPA; the National Centre for Rural and Remote Medicine (UK); HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland; the Association of University Departments of General Practice in Ireland (AUDGPI), and the Rural and Remote Health Journal. “We believe passionately that by people coming together and working together and sharing ideas, we can change attitudes, lives, health and ultimately, the world. The 2022 World Rural Health Conference will provide a unique crossroads for a diverse community of GPs, Practice nurses, students, researchers, policy makers, health managers, creators and educators which will translate into positive and resilient change for the health of communities,” said Dr Diarmuid Quinlan, Medical Director of the Irish College of General Practitioners. “Our theme, ‘Improving Health, Empowering Communities’ will explore how communities can be empowered to improve their own health and the health of those around them. We hope to do this by hearing from 1000+ participants from all over the world in various sectors, including Health, Science, Engineering, the Arts, and NGOs of all shapes and sizes. This action-oriented conference is intended to foster a high level of meaningful dialogue and cooperation amongst stakeholders,” asserted Dr John Wynn-Jones, a renowned global GP leader who chairs the Conference International Advisory Group. PAGE 17
WONCA NEWS W O N C A
R U R A L
H E A L T H
Members of the group come from every corner of the world, in order to make sure the conference has a truly international flavour. Rural communities across the globe continue to be challenged by the limited supply of highquality rural healthcare professionals and leaders. A key outcome for this conference will be an enhanced understanding of, and commitment to, student and early-career healthcare professionals who are interested in living and working in rural areas. “If young doctors and nurses are not supported to have vibrant and viable careers in rural areas, those same areas will become even more vulnerable. This is a critical issue for those communities and this conference provides a unique opportunity for stakeholders, leaders and international experts to find solutions,” said Dr Robert Scully, Deputy Director of ScotGEM and chair of the student and young doctor subcommittee for the conference.
C O N F E R E N C E
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“Rural healthcare is at the heart of this conference but it is clear that themes about educating our future healthcare leaders, the environment, the role of the Irish practice nurse, pre-hospital care, Indigenous, migrant and refugee healthcare, and the role of universities will resonate with most of us whether you live or work in a city, large or small town. We all work to serve our local communities which is the central focus of our conference theme,” said Dr Jerry Cowley, chairman of the Rural, Island and Dispensing Doctors of Ireland. The conference organisers welcome any and all participation and look forward to hearing from you in the weeks and months ahead and most of all look forward to welcoming you to Limerick in 2022. Please email registrationWRHC2022@ul.ie with any queries or go to the link below or click on the barcode to access the conference website:
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Contact: Kevin O’Connor Conference & Events Office Communications Officer, WONCA 2022 University of Limerick.
C O N F E R E N C E S PAGE 18
WONCA NEWS
W O N C A C A L L T O A C T I O N
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WORKING PARTIES NEWS
COP (or ‘Conference of Parties’) is a yearly conference that brings together all countries which are party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The 26th meeting is due to go ahead in Glasgow from 1 – 12 November. COP26 is a crucial opportunity to assess, reaffirm and strengthen existing commitments made by the international community to decarbonise. Specifically, it will be a chance to review commitments made under the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. The Working Party on Environment has prepared a 'Call to Action' urging governments, agencies and WONCA stakeholders to take action to reach zero emissions by 2040.
Read the full WONCA Action Call for COP26
Credit: ukcop26.org
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R U R A L
WONCA NEWS
S E E D S
SHORT MOVIE “FOOTPRINT”, SELECTED FOR THE MOBILE FILM FESTIVAL
The short film “Footprint” produced by Rural Seeds Brasil was selected among 692 other films from 92 countries in the 17th edition of the Mobile Film Festival whose theme is “Making Peace with Nature''. Among the 50 selected, the one with the highest score on the SensCritique platform until November 30th will receive the “Audience Award”. "’Footprint’ challenges people to think about how they make their mark on Earth through footsteps in the world.” - Marco Aurélio and Mayara Floss The short film was directed and produced by Marco Aurélio and Mayara Floss, with the help of multiple Brazilian volunteers who sent scenes for its composition. It aims to make the audience reflect on our relationship with the planet and the “footprint” that we want to leave in it. This invitation to reflection comes at an opportune time, in the midst of climate change and COP26 (26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change). Climate change is just one facet of the footprints left by humanity, as the recently launched São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health, published in October in The Lancet magazine, addresses: “The scale of our own environmental impacts is threatening our nutrition and mental health, increasing exposure to infectious diseases and noncommunicable diseases, and driving population displacement and conflict. On our current trajectory, we can no longer safeguard human health and wellbeing.”
WORKING PARTIES NEWS
Also according to the declaration, in addition to individual changes in daily life, it is necessary to reflect on the need for deep structural changes in most dimensions of human activity. Do you accept this invitation to reflection? ABOUT THE RURAL SEEDS NETWORK
Audiovisual production is nothing new for the directors, who are part of the Rural Videos team of the Brazilian team at Rural Seeds. Rural Seeds is a worldwide network of students and young doctors interested in rural medicine, launched at the 14th Wonca World Rural Health Conference, which took place in 2017 in Cairns, Australia. Its objective is to disseminate information and guide the training of rural practice to its members and community, in addition to working to identify rural health needs in order to promote change. The project is mentored by WONCA's Working Party on Rural Practice (WWPRP) and also liaises with WONCA's Young Doctor's Movement. Last year the short film directed by Andressa Paz and Mayara Floss “Womb-world” (Original: Mundo útero) produced by Rural Seeds was also selected for the festival.
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WONCA NEWS R U R A L
S E E D S
The video team began production in 2017, when the “Rural Videos” project was launched with support from the Brazilian Society of Family and Community Medicine (SBMFC). In 2021, the project's YouTube channel had more than 35 thousand views. Between videos with informative content and short films, audiovisual production has been an important tool for Rural Seeds to achieve its goals, taking information to the general public in a simple and direct way, in audio and video, democratizing its access and contributing to the fight for a well-served rural population and a healthier planet. THE FESTIVAL
The Mobile Film Festival has been held annually for 17 years, with submissions open to everyone, under the principle “1 Mobile – 1 Minute – 1 Film”, that is, the accepted short films must be filmed with cell phones and their duration cannot exceed one minute. Thus, according to information from the platform itself, it has sought “the democratization of filmmaking by zeroing in on storytelling — and not big-budget productions”.
The festival is aimed at “young directors” from all over the world, with the aim of discovering talent and supporting their work, either giving visibility or financing their productions. The format has had substantial public support, and in the last five editions it has received 5,721 shorts from 151 countries, reaching more than 130 million views.
Among the awards given by the festival is the Audience Award, whose winner is determined by popular vote. You can help the team win the Audience Award by voting through the SensCritique platform until November 30th at 11:59 am (Paris time, France) and promoting the short through the YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
WRITTEN BY...
Matheus Vieira da Cunha, Brazilian medical student and member of Rural Seeds.
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WONCA NEWS
F E A U T U R E D S T O R I E S
IF HEALTH SYSTEMS COULD TALK: ILLUMINATING THE VITAL SIGNS OF STRONG PRIMARY HEALTH CARE In 2018, at the Global Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana, Kazakhstan, world leaders reaffirmed strong primary health care as the cornerstone of universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. Alongside this historic milestone, the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) partnered with several countries to launch the first-ever Vital Signs Profiles: an innovative tool that provides an actionable snapshot of strengths and weaknesses of primary health care in the health system.
The need for strong #PrimaryHealthCare is greater than ever! Through qualitative and quantitative data, PHC Vital Signs help countries see a complete picture of their health system & make targeted improvements. Read the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative's new report here.
Three years later, at a pivotal moment for health systems everywhere, PHCPI is excited to share a new digital report highlighting data and lessons from the first 23 Vital Signs Profiles, called “If Health Systems Could Talk: Illuminating the Vital Signs of Strong Primary Health Care.” PAGE 22
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WONCA NEWS
A N N O U N C E M E N T S SPONSORED
THE UNITED NATIONS SEEKS A DEPUTY MEDICAL DIRECTOR
DISCOVER THE HEALTH SERVICES LEARNING HUB WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZAITION The WHO Health Services Learning is a knowledge platform that aims to drive cross-country learning on maintaining essential health services during the COVID19 pandemic & throughout the post-pandemic recovery phase. The HLH supports implementation of WHO’s operational guidance on maintaining essential health services. Find more information here.
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A N N O U N C E M E N T S & U P D A T E S
WONCA NEWS
JOIN THE FM VAX SURVEY AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY ON THE INTEGRATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND PRIMARY CARE IN COVID-19 VACCINATION CAMPAIGNS We are pleased to invite you to partake in the FM Vax: An International Survey on the Integration of Public Health and Primary Care in COVID-19 Vaccination Campaigns research study. The aim is to identify the primary health care approach used by different countries in implementing their vaccination programmes for COVID-19, with a focus on the integration of public health and primary care.
We are interested in input from We welcome you to learn more primary health care about the research study and professionals, such as clinicians, participating by clicking here! researchers and policymakers who can respond regarding their own countries. We kindly request your participation by completing a survey that should not take more than 15 minutes to complete. You will have the option to enter a prize draw to win an e-book entitled How To Do Primary Care Educational Research.
... AND THE FM PIVOT INITIATIVE
BY THE BESROUR CENTRE FOR GLOBAL FAMILY MEDICINE. The Besrour Centre for Global Family Medicine is excited to announce the FM Pivot learning module “Finding Great Research Questions in Pandemics and Other Crises: An introduction for family medicine researchers” is now available at www.fmpivot.ca. The online module aims to apply global experience from the COVID-19 pandemic to build research skills and capacity amongst community-based family doctors and trainees. Start this learning module here.
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