FROM THE PRESIDENT

D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2

As a physician, I’ve always liked makinghousecalls.Theynurturethe patient-doctor relationship. When meeting in the patient’s home context, we both recognize and share other aspects of ourselves. I find that the realities of my patients’ lives come more clearly into focus onceI’vemetthemwheretheylive. Now, in November and December, I’ve been invited to visit the ‘homes’ of four, far-flung WONCA regions. From my Scandinavian Norway, I’ve been to Central America’s Guatemala, North America’s Arizona, Africa’s Nigeria, and now, as I write, I’mheadingtoIndonesia’sBali!

Aftertwoyearsoflifesavingisolation during the pandemic, of being deprived of meeting each other in person, our various types of ‘home visits’ carry a new poignancy. And an added enthusiasm. At this stage of the pandemic, everyone, all at once, seems eager to organize face-to-face meetings. Abrieftravelogue:

HOME VISITS

Early in November, WONCA Iberoamericana held their Health Summit, the eighth in the region since 2007, this time in Guatemala. The region has developed a method for “La Cumbre” , which, by the way, means both the summit and a pinnacle in Spanish. I’ve now seen –in person – how worthwhile their Summit method would be for other WONCAregionsaswell. The Summit was organized and conducted by the CIMF leadership in collaboration both with regional colleagues and various National Health authorities. The aim is to identify areas for development, and to agree on joint actions. Guatemala has neither training schemes for Family Medicine nor a basic system for Primary Health Care. During just two intense days, the Summit produced the “Guatemala Declaration”andan“ActionPlan” . This conference was a case-in-point of the beauty of international solidarityinaction.

WONCAIberoamericanaCIMFSummitinGuatemala

What a privilege it was to participate in that intense process. I’m certain that the Summit built a momentum, helping to hold the Ministers of Health and Social Welfare accountable for the development of Primary Health Care. WONCA will play a task force role, exerting appropriatepressurefromoutside. And of the gift of ‘home visits’! My excursions into the countryside and to health facilities in the Capitol left me with the sort of insight into their need for Primary Health Care that only a face-to-face visit could have afforded.

WONCA President Anna Stavdal and Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize, President of the AAFP at the NAPCRG meeting in Arizona. Nextstop,Phoenix,Arizona,U.S.A.: Some days after the Summit concluded,NAPCRG(NorthAmerican Primary Care Research Group) celebratedits50thanniversary.Iwas invited to give the opening keynote address. My ‘home visit’ to that contextenabledmetorecognizeand discuss future collaboration opportunities between WONCA and NAPCRG. My visit confirmed what may not always be apparent: clinicians and researchers do share a common goal, and our constituencies do overlaptosomedegree.

WONCA Africa Region Conference in Abuja, Nigeria

Quite a few NAPCRG members are based outside North America, and nourishing the potential synergies within the international Family Medicine community is a priority for both our organizations. It’s increasingly important to make the case for Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, and such joint actions are a powerful tool to increase the impact of our advocacy. Some NAPCRG members have already decided to attend the WONCA World Conference in Sydney next year, and I‘m looking forward to developingourrelationshipfurther. OntoAfrica: WONCA Africa held their conference at the end of November, in Abuja, Nigeria, where our CEO, Harris Lygidakis, and I represented WONCA World. Even before the conference, theprogramwasextensive. We visited several health facilities and the Department of Family Medicine in Abuja. And, we were there to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of SOFPON, one of Nigeria’s three WONCA member organizations. Then began the regional conference’s impressive program.Theenthusiasmamongthe participants was energizing to experience. Thanks to this ‘home visit, we made contact with colleagues from African countries that do not have WONCA member organizations – yet. My hope is that we can develop these relationships, and grow our membership, including among FrancophoneAfricancountries. Another highlight from our days in Abuja was our meeting with Dame Pauline Tallen, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development. She underlined the importance that Primary Health Care carries for her population of more than 200 million people. We agreed to take joint action during the annual, global campaign against gender-based violence, which started the day we leftNigeria.

Now, as I write, I’m on my way to Indonesia: The final ‘home visit’ of this journey brings me to the WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Bali. Theirs is yet another carefully planned program. People have been working for months to make sure the Family Doctors of the region get to meet, learn from, and support each other. I am humbled and happy to be invited to experience the results of their efforts.

I hereby send a big Thank You to all our hosts! For your kind hospitality – and your work.

WONCA APR Conference 2022 in Bali, Indonesia

It has now been a year since the Executive Board and I took office. With one year left before we hand the baton on to our next WONCA relay team, this would be a good moment for each of us to take stock and review our work. What have we achieved? Where might we work evenharder? As we celebrate International Universal Health Coverage Day this December 12th, we remember that ‘Health for All’ and ’A Family Doctor for Every Family’ are our goals. Primary Health Care is our political instrument as we work to improve people’slives. ThetitleDr.AkimMoseschoseforhis main keynote address at SOFPONs 25th anniversary celebration says it sowell:

“TheFamilyPhysician:TheShepherd of Humane and Compassionate Care. ”

Now, at the close of 2022, I send warm greetings to all of you, my fellow shepherds, Family Doctors of the World. Thank you for your support, your companionship, and yourinspiration.

Alsoavailablein: Français Español

DR ANNA STAVDAL

W O N C A P R E S I D E N T

PRESIDENT-ELECT:

THINKING OF WONCA 2023

During the last week of November I attended the annual conference of my own college - the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP). Next year, the RACGP is honoured to be hosting the world conference of WONCA, in conjunction with our own conference.Insomeways,thisyear’s conference felt like a trial run for our WONCA2023event. I’m pleased to report things ran very smoothly. As a participant, I did some of the same things that we all treasure about WONCA conferences: chat with eminent colleagues, and meet old and new friends from overseas. As I walked back from my morning teaoneday,IencounteredProfJohn Murtagh, perhaps our most famous Australian GP through being the author of “Murtagh’s General Practice” . Young doctors were starting to line up for photos with him.Heisalwayssoobligingandhas an encouraging word for those who want photographs and autographs. Our hope is that we will see him in Sydney,nextyear.

A/PROF KAREN FLEGG

W O N C A P R E S I D E N T - E L E C T

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION NOW CLOSING FEBRUARY 9, 2023 BURSARY APPLICATIONS CLOSING: FEBRUARY 10, 2023 EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION CLOSING JULY 13, 2023 CONFERENCE WEBSITE

Prof Michael Kidd, WONCA Past President

NZ colleagues – Dr Kylie McQuellin (RNZCGP head of membership services), Dr Samantha Murton (RNZCGP President); Dr Kerryn Lum (RNZCGP Censor-in-Chief) and Lynne Hayman (RNZCGP CEO)

Prof Michael Kidd also humoured me with a photograph, but in the WONCA 2023 conference frame with a kangaroo. Michael is one of our keynotespeakersfortheconference.

At last week’s conference, I was also lucky enough to catch up with colleagues from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners’ (RNZCGP), the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia (AFPM), and the Fiji College ofGPs(FCGP). I have always treasured the social and learning interactions with international colleagues at WONCA conferences. Your Australian colleagues are starting to look forward to this as an opportunity for themnextyear. One thing that will be quite different next year is the scientific program with our international presenters. Exchanging ideas with colleagues from overseas is one of those wonderful things of WONCA conferences. The themes of WONCA2023 are “Recovery, reconnection and revival. A celebrationofprimarycare” .

Malaysian colleagues - Dr Lee Cheng Yew (president AFPM) and WONCA Asia-Pacific region secretary, Dr “Kavi” Sailin.

We hope many of you submit abstracts and note the closing date has now extended until February 9, 2023. Prof Mark Morgan is our Scientific Committeechair. Mark’s messages for those consideringabstractsubmissionare: More traditional formats such as illustrated talks, debates, discussion panels, research presentations will also be welcome.

Our peer review process will assess each abstract looking for topics that are relevant to family doctors.

Fijian colleague - Dr Shanita Sen(Vice president FCGP) and Prof Frank Jones (RACGP WONCA representative) We hope WONCA2023 will challenge, enlighten and enthuse each person who attends, so we would like conference sessions to be as interactiveaspossible. The abstract submission process asks for a description of your presentation/session in up to 300 words. It also asks you to identify three learning objectives. We would be pleased to receive abstracts that use innovative presentation styles such as dance, poetry, song, narration, imbeddedaudio-visualcontent. Mark reminds us that to allow for new and emerging research to be presented, there is a separate opportunity for research abstract submissions closer to the dates of WONCA23. We have called this subsequent opportunity ‘’latebreaking” . Abstracts of this type may be submitted from May 24 to June 8. Abstract submission information can befoundhere. My Australian colleagues and I look forward to welcoming so many of you to my country and home town Sydneynextyear.

Prof Mark Morgan is our Scientific Committee chair.