WONCA NEWS November 2022

WONCAPRESIDENT DRANNASTAVDAL(NORWAY) EMAIL:PRESIDENT@WONCANET TWITTER:@ASTAVDAL

WONCAIMMEDIATEPAST PRESIDENT DRDONALDLI(HONGKONG)

PRESIDENTELECT ASSOCPROFKARENFLEGG(AUSTRALIA)

EXECUTIVEMEMBERATLARGE& HONORARYTREASURER PROFVALWASS(UK)

EXECUTIVEMEMBERATLARGE DRMARÍAPILARASTIERPEÑA(SPAIN)

EXECUTIVEMEMBERATLARGE PROFSHABIRMOOSA(SOUTHAFRICA)

REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAAFRICA DRDANABUBAKAR(NIGERIA)

REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAASIAPACIFIC ASSOCPROFMOHAMMADHUSNIJAMAL(MALAYSIA)

REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAEAST MEDITERRANEAN PROFTAGHREEDMOHAMEDFARAHAT(EGYPT)

REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAEUROPE PROFSHLOMOVINKER (ISRAEL)

REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAIBEROAMERICANA CIMF ADJ/PROFJACQUELINEPONZO(URUGUAY)

REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCANORTHAMERICA DRJEFFMARKUNS(USA)

REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCASOUTHASIA DRTARIQAZIZ(PAKISTAN)

YOUNGDOCTORS'REPRESENTATIVE DRSANKHARANDENIKUMARA(SRILANKA)

WONCACHIEFEXECUTIVEOFFICER DRHARRISLYGIDAKIS

WONCAWORLDSECRETARIAT

WORLDORGANIZATIONOFFAMILYDOCTORS

AVENUEDESARTS78 1210BRUSSELS BELGIUM

EMAIL:SECRETARIAT@WONCANET PHONE:+32(0)23290075

WONCAEDITOR MARIADOLORESZAVALA EMAIL:EDITOR@WONCANET

TRANSLATIONS

DRJIEGU DRHUAYANG DRJULIENARTIGNY

CONTENT

FROM THE PRESIDENT PAGE 3

WONCA & WHO NEWS PAGE 5

WONCA REGIONS PAGE 6 7TH WONCA EMR REGIONAL CONFERENCE |OMAN VIII IBERO AMERICAN SUMMIT OF FAMILY MEDICINE | GUATEMALA

WP & SIGS NEWS PAGE 17 WP ON EDUCATION: FREE ACCESS CONCESSIONS ANNOUNCED

FEATURED STORIES PAGE 20

ADVOCACY IS AN ART THAT CAN BE LEARNED

WP ON RESEARCH: WEBINAR SERIES SIG ON POLICY ADVOCACY E WORKSHOP ASTANA DECLARATION ANNIVERSARY

YDM NEWS PAGE 23

YOUNG DOCTORS’ COMMITMENT TOWARDS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE THE SPICE ROUTE CELEBRATES WORLD DIABETES DAY

WONCA CONFERENCES PAGE 26

WONCA VISITS SYDNEY

WONCA 2023 IN SYDNEY WILL BE THE CONFERENCE OF YOUR CAREER: MARK MORGAN

WONCA SYDNEY EXTENDS PROGRAM SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE

7TH WONCA AFRICA REGION CONFERENCE 2022

WONCA ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE 28TH WONCA EUROPE CONFERENCE

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES PAGE 35

FROM THE PRESIDENT

NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF CLINICAL GUIDELINES?

Medicine’s‘goldstandard’thesedaysisEvidence

Based Medicine (EBM). Most of us agree that what’s best for our patients is treatment based solidly on scientific knowledge We rarely recall, however, that the concept of clinical guidelines basedonEBMisquiteanew comertothehistory of medicine. As recently as the 1980’s, when I graduatedfrommedicalschool,noreferencewas madeto‘guidelines’duringourcaseconferences Wereliedonourtextbooksandwhatwe’dlearned from our teachers to arrive at diagnoses and treatmentplans.

In fact, EBM didn’t emerge as a trend or a ‘movement’untilthestartofthemillennium.The Cochrane Foundation was a prime mover internationally with their early marketing slogan: “Trusted evidence Informed decisions Better health.”

Since then, national, regional and international stakeholders and agencies have come up with a multiplicityofclinicalguidelines Manyifnotmost of these resulted from consensus processes, mainlyinvolvingsecondarycarespecialistsfroma varietyspecialties.

While‘evidence’and‘consensus’soundgood,can there be too much of a good thing? The recent USA “Cochrane Sustainable Health Care” study regarding “overuse and de implementation” CalculatedthateachPrimaryCareDoctorwould havetouse267hoursofeach24 hourdayto

providethehealthcareservicesrecommendedby theguidelines.

If the care were offered in the context of a Team Practice, that could be reduced to [merely] 9.3 hoursperday.

How could the medical community be so obliviousastopaintitselfintosuchacorner?

Guidelines are based on research results and agendas that are set up by a variety of agencies and stakeholders. End users, meanwhile, are left in the dark as to the origins of the research questions, the theories on which they are based, and the sources funding the projects; these remainunspecified Ofevengreaterconsequence than this lack of transparency is the near total failure of the research agendas to integrate, or even mention, our specialty's values base. The very complexity of a person centered approach, which aims toward being comprehensive, does make the process of designing well contextualized, evidence based research more difficult. Not even making that effort, however, can yield only fragmented knowledge knowledge broken into decontextualized fragments that may prove neither applicable nor useful within a clinical setting. Add to that the reality that multiple, evidence based guidelines mayproveincompatiblewitheachother,notonly contradictorybutpotentiallydangerouswhenwe attempttoapplythemtotheindividualinfrontof us

In1996,whileEBMwasontherise,awell known Norwegian writer and thinker, Dr. Geir Sverre Braut, reflected on this sort of dilemma in an essay published in our National Family Medicine journal. There he proposed that a broader concept could serve as our ideal ‘Value Based Medicine’.

ANNA STAVDAL

This, he suggested, came of combining EBM with contextualized, interpreted/narrated knowledge. “ValueBasedMedicine,”hewrote,“isprovidedby those who believe in the truth, but at the same time choose to prove what is ‘not proven’, and then combine the two” He termed that mix, ‘WisdomBasedMedicine’.

As first line providers of medical care we have a duty to stay abreast of developments within medicine that might prove beneficial to our patients. We have an equally important duty to protect them from measures which might harm them. As the saying goes, To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail No matter how useful Evidence Based guidelines may be as tools, they ought not become that sort of hammer.

This is where reflection, the hallmark of Family Medicine, comes in. In clinical situations, considering three simple questions may help us relatetoguidelineswisely:

Is the guideline based on scientific criteria thatare“true”?

Is it relevant to you, your patient, and the community that is, to the context within whichit’sbeingapplied?

Isitusefulforthisindividual yourpatientin thisspecificsituation?

Because one size almost never fits all, our obligation to reflect and then tailor our actions remains imperative Practitioners of Family Medicine provide personalized care. When care serves our patients’ best, they become healthier. When lots of healthy individuals come together, healthysocietiesarebornandmaygrow

WONCA PRESIDENT

DR

COLLABORATING WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION

We aim to strengthen links between WONCA working parties , the WONCA executive and the WHO. By sharing expertise and information we canworkcollaborativelyandstrategicallyto:

Build sustainable collaborations so that impetusisnotlostwhenleadershipchanges

Harness expertise within working parties to show case to WHO how WONCA can contribute

Contribute effectively to the crucial work needed post covid address health inequities and highlight the role of primary care in achievingUHC

We aim to strengthen links between WONCA working parties , the WONCA executive and the WHO By sharing expertise and information we canworkcollaborativelyandstrategicallyto:

THE PARTNERSHIP FOR MATERNAL, NEWBORN AND CHILD HEALTH (PMNCH)

We were delighted that Professor Amanda Howe representedtheWONCAWorkingPartyofWomen and Family Medicine (WPWFM) at a recent meetingofthePMNCH.

PMNCHarelaunchingaction:

We look forward to further communications between WPWFM and PMNCH to inform our member organisations when the country led actionsaredefinedandlaunched.

ThankyouAmanda

“Decades of progress in improving women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health (WCAH) are now under threat of reversal due to the triple combination of COVID 19, conflict and climate change. Increasing threats to sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) intensify these challenges. PMNCH the world’s largest alliance for women, children and adolescents is responding vigorously. By scaling up evidence based advocacy efforts for investments, policy and service delivery, PMNCH’s 1,300 member organizations are seeking to support country led action and improve accountability, especially for the most vulnerable.”

WHO LIAISON

PROF VAL WASS

PROF AMANDA HOWE

TH

WONCA EMR REGIONAL CONFERENCE WHERE OPPORTUNITY MEETS ACTION 7

The7theditionoftheWONCAEastMediterranean

Region Family Medicine Congress 2022 was held from 10th 12th November 2022 in Muscat Oman.

The event was organised by WONCA EMR, addressing the theme of "where opportunity meets action". The congress vision was to facilitate an enabling environment to encourage and support the development of academic organisations and general practitioners/ family physicians. The conference provided an outstanding opportunity for everyone to benefit fromtheinteractiveformatoftoppeereducators in the fast paced sessions, clinical workshops providing evidence based answers, advanced healthcare solutions and technologies in the modernworldaidinghealthcaresystemsensuring thehighestqualitypatientoutcomes

Dr Abdulaziz Al Mahrezi, Congress president, President of the Oman Family Medicine Society andPresident ElectofWONCAEMR,hostedthe

TheceremonywasalsoprecededbyDrAhmedAl Mandhari, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organization, who emphasised that “Strengthening primary health care through a family practice based model of care is essential to achieve universal health coverage UHC and the Sustainable DevelopmentGoalsSDGs”

WONCA EMR executive board meeting, held face to face for the first time since March, 2019

WONCA EMR President, Prof. Taghreed Farahat, alsotookpartintheopeningceremonyremotely, with a speech shared by the WONCA EMR Secretary. Her message underlined the voice of WONCA, inviting participants to join the WONCA working parties or special interest groups activities Prof Farahat also acknowledged with standing ovations the work of the previous WONCA and WONCA EMR leaders for their achievements in growing family medicine in the region.

Over three days, the conference witnessed participants from 22 countries attend through multiple keynote sessions, parallel sessions and abstractpresentations Theconferenceoffered15 scientific sessions in parallel with 13 workshops hostedby50facultymembers.

WONCA EMR is paying tributary to:

WONCA EMR past president Dr Mohamed Tarawnh

WONCA EMR immediate past president : Dr Jinan Usta

WHO Session Overview of WHO EMRO and WONCA EMR collaboration

The first session : FM role during Covid 19 era

YOUNG DOCTORS' MOVEMENT AL RAZI PRE-CONFERENCE

Al Razi, the regional Young Doctors' Movement, hosted the Pre Conference with four scheduled workshops.

Al Razi YDM Preconference opening workshops were down by WONCA EMR elect chair Dr Abdelaziz Al Mahrezi, WONCA EMR honorary Secretary Nagwa Nashat, YDM world representativeSankhaandAlRaziYDMchair,Anas Almohtaseb.

YDM Rrepresentative Dr Sankha Randenikumara message on behalf of WONCA President, Dr Anna Stavdal

WONCA EMR elect chair Dr Abdelaziz Al Mahrezi

AlRazi YDM chair Anas Almohtaseb

CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS

1 Strengthen cooperation with the World Organization of Family Physicians (WONCA) and explore the possibility of hosting the World ConferenceoftheOrganizationintheSultanateof Oman

2. Support the establishment of a Gulf Society of Family Medicine in coordination with the Gulf Societies and Associations of Family Medicine to enhance the role of this specialty in the Gulf healthsystem

3.PromotetheconceptsandprinciplesofFamily Medicine as an essential part of the Primary Health Care system to the decision makers and thecommunity

4. Develop strategies to improve the services provided by Family Doctors to facilitate the patient's access to health services and enable Family Doctors to provide sustainable and comprehensivecare

5.Enableaccesstoalldiagnosticandtherapeutic procedures in Primary Health Care institutes for allcommondiseases,especiallychronicdiseases

6.Developastrategicplantoachievetherequired balancebetweenthenumberofFamilyDoctorsin eachcountryandtheactualneedtoimprovethe healthservicesprovided

7 Strengthen the relations between the Oman Society of Family Medicine and the Family Medicine societies and associations in the countries of the region to invest in scientific research and other fields related to Family Medicine and provide a stimulating environment forresearchwork

8. Encourage the utilisation of modern technologiestoimprovetheservicesprovidedby FamilyDoctorspshostedby50facultymembers

OMAN TV coverage of WONCA EMR Conference 2022

NAGWA NASHAT HEGAZY,

written by:

TH OF FAMILY MEDICINE 2022

IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE, AN ESSENTIAL SPECIALTY FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF HEALTH SYSTEMS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

WONCAPresident,DrAnnaStavdal,joinedtheVIII Ibero American Summit of Family Medicine in Guatemala The event, whose central theme was "Family and Community Medicine, an essential specialtyforthetransformationofhealthsystems inthe21stcentury",washeldinthecapitalcityof Guatemalaon10and11November2022.

Dr Stavdal was present at the opening session, precededbyDrFranciscoComa,MinisterofPublic Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), José Adolfo Flamenco, President of the Board of Directors of the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS), and Dr Jacqueline Ponzo, Regional President of WONCA Iberoamericana CIMF

On her speech, WONCA President Anna Stavdal highlightedtheimportanceofthefamilymedicine specialty to achieve universal health coverage with primary care as the cornerstone of health systems.

“People need health care where they live, in their communities Hospitals and secondary care services are important, but what most people need is basic healthcare, tailored to their needs and accessible, both financially and geographically.”

ESTE ARTÍCULO TAMBIÉN ESTÁ DISPONIBLE EN ESPAÑOL

Gerardo Alfaro, representative of OPS Guatemala, José Flamenco, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IGSS, WONCA President, Dr Anna Stavdal, WONCA Iberoamericana CIMF Regional President, Dr Jaqueline Ponzo, Dr Francisco Coma, Minister of Public Health of Guatemala and Dr Edwin Montúfar, Vice Minister of Primary Health Care

Duringtheseconddayofactivities,DrStavdalled the session "Lessons learned worldwide for the best implementation of Family and Community Medicine in health systems", along with Dr Gabriela Di Croce, regional representative of residents and young specialists of the Waynakay Movement

Days before the event, Dr Stavdal also participated in the Day of residents and young specialistsinFamilyandCommunityMedicineled by Waynakay Movement The session had the face to face participation of young doctors and residents from multiple Latin American countries and the virtual presence route of Dr Sankha Randenikumara,leaderofYDM WONCA.

WONCA President, Dr Anna Stavdal

Activities of the WONCA Young Doctors Movement Waynakay Preconference

The VIII Ibero American Summit of Family Medicineculminatedwiththereadingandsigning oftheDeclarationofGuatemala,whichrepresents acommitmenttopromotefamilyandcommunity medicineintheregion.Thedocumentwassigned in an act at the National Palace of Culture in GuatemalaCity

PRESS RELEASE: GUATEMALA MOVES FORWARD IN THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF FAMILY MEDICINE

The Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance MSPAS , Dr Francisco Coma, along withthePresidentoftheBoardofDirectorsofthe Guatemalan Social Security Institute IGSS , José Adolfo Flamenco; and the president of the World Organization of Family Physicians WONCA Iberoamericana CIMF, Dr Jacqueline Ponzo, inaugurated the VIII Ibero American Summit of FamilyMedicine CIMF andCommunityMedicine, withanessentialspecialtyforthetransformation of health systems in the 21st century The event took place in a hotel in zone 10 of the capital on November10and11.

The objective of this summit was to promote progresstowardsuniversalhealthaccessandthe institutionalization of family medicine to strengthen skills, quality, and the profile of specialistsandthesystem

Theconferencerepresentsthemaximumregional eventofWONCAIberoamericana CIMF ,duetoits political technical nature, which favours participatory work to improve institutional and societalcommitments.

WONCA Iberoamericana CIMF Regional President, Dr Jacqueline Ponzo

Thiseventalsocontributestoacreativeexchange that allows recognising of the paths and processesthatGuatemalacanfollowtoinstallthe specialization in the branch; a process that has beencloselyfollowedbythePanAmericanHealth Organization PAHO totracktheagreementsand progresstoachievetheobjectivesset

During the summit activities, Minister Coma stated: “It is a privilege for me to share with experts who have helped to reform the health systems of many countries. Having the support and conviction of more than one institution to integrate family and community medicine in our country is comforting. This summit comes to strengthen the knowledge of our health workers and inter institutional efforts to reach all corners of the country, despite the distance and difficult access”

WONCA Iberoamericana CIMF Regional President, Dr Jacqueline Ponzo

Meanwhile, José Adolfo Flamenco commented: "Guatemala is ready and needs to take this step, because family and community medicine is the differentiating element to promote a new service model."

“I feel honoured to participate in this important challenge of seeking a solution and a path to respond to the needs of the Guatemalan population, which are not very different from those of the countries of our region”,notedthepresident ofWONCAIberoamericana,DrPonzo.

Family and Community Medicine is a discipline that has a wide field ofknowledge, which will strengthenthefirstlevelofcareoftheMinistryof Health and Social Security, with the support of strategic allies, with whom we have worked shoulder to shoulder. to improve the health systeminthecountry.

In addition to the authorities, the representative oftheinter institutionaltechnicalboardoffamily andcommunitymedicine,DrJulioValdés;among otherimportantguests

OnthelastdayofactivitiesWONCAPresident,Dr

Anna Stavdal visited local clinics in the town of Santa Catarina, located 10 km from Antigua, Guatemala.

WORKING PARTY ON EDUCATION EDUCATION FOR PRIMARY CARE

FREE ACCESS CONCESSIONS ANNOUNCED

The annual meeting of Education for Primary Care,ouraffiliatedWONCAjournal,tookplacelast week DrVictorNg,ChairoftheWONCAEducation Working Party is on the Editorial Board joined virtually.

Thepublishers,TaylorandFrancis,reportedgood and steady progress as paper views and downloads increase, international submissions rise and there is evidence of impact This is so important as, to address the shortfall of Family MedicineDoctors,theroleofEducationinPrimary Care in workforce development becomes of paramountimportance

If you are involved in postgraduate training, an excellent article from Australia on supporting GP supervisorsisopenlyavailable

Iamdelightedthatthepublishershaveagreedto reinstate an increased monthly free access to a selected paper. We will announce these, starting with the December free access paper, in the weeklye bulletins

We thank Taylor and Francis and the editor ProfessorSimonGay,forthisvaluableconcession towidenjournalaccessacrossallourmembers.

PROF VAL WASS

Former Chair WONCA Working Party on Education, writes on the latest open access items in Education for Primary Care

WP ON RESEARCH

FAMILY MEDICINE AND PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE WORLD

WEBINAR SERIES

SESSION 1: DECEMBER 12, 2022 9:00 AM UTC

CORE FUNCTIONS OF PRIMARY CARE, LEARNING FROM SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, MYANMAR AND THAILAND

A webinar series organized by WONCA Working Party on Research under the title “Family Medicine and Primary Health Care Development AroundtheWorld",from2022to2023.

This webinar series served as a platform for sharing information on how Family Physicians/General Practitioners and primary health care systems function in countries with different contexts and developments To understand the core functions of primary care (comprehensiveness, coordination, continuity, access), in this first session, we are going to presentacasewithmulti morbidconditionswith acute and chronic issues to manage and learn how the case is managed in 4 countries: South Africa,Japan,MyanmarandThailand.

This session also allows the audience to participate in the discussion, an opportunity to learnandadoptnewideastoimprovethesystem ineachcountry.

This session also allows the audience to participate in the discussion, an opportunity to learnandadoptnewideastoimprovethesystem ineachcountry

E-WORKSHOP: HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR FAMILY MEDICINE?

DearWONCAcolleagues, WearedelightedtocontinuetheworkoftheSIG onPolicyAdvocacytohelpustobemoreeffective advocates for family medicine. See more about theSIGandjointheSIGhere:SIGPolicyAdvocacy Webpage

In the first webinar for our SIG, we talked about some of the core principles of advocacy and shared an example by our colleague Prof Husni JamalofhisworkatthenationallevelinMalaysia. Weareplanningane Workshopeveryfewmonths with two e workshops on the same day at different time zones to cater to the diversity of WONCA Our next interactive e Workshop on “How to advocate for Family Medicine” is on Thurs 1st December 08h00 10h00 GMT (Check your local time HERE) and 16h00 18h00 GMT (CheckyourlocaltimeHERE) Register for the Zoom meeting using the registrationlinksbelow 08h00 10h00GMTRegistrationLink 15h00 17h00GMTRegistrationLink

Ourthemeoflearningfromexperiencesofothers will continue in this webinar, where we are delighted that our core speakers will be our colleaguesDrRaquelGomezBravo,SaraAres,and HarrisLygidakis.RaquelandSarawillsharetheir multidimensional approach to influence family medicine’s opportunities and status in Europe, while Harris as WONCA CEO will build on his headlines on “The Science and Art of Communication” set out in the September newsletter

The workshop will be a mix of panel discussion, smallgroupsdiscussionsandfeedbackinplenary. We hope the collective expertise in WONCA will provide for a stimulating discussion Please put the best slot for your time in the diary now! Hopingtoseeyouon1stDecember!

We would love these e workshops to share attemptsatadvocacyoffamilymedicine,whether at local, national, regional or global level and whetherfailedorsucceeded,aswefeelthisisthe bestsourceoflearning Pleasecontacteitherone of the co chairs if you are willing to share your experience or any other relevant expertise. It would be great if you can email a 250 word abstract, attach related publications or documents and a few questions that would be useful for group discussion The objective is not just to share stories but to share reflections/learnings that could become general principles for others to become better advocates forfamilymedicine

CONVENORS | CHAIRS

PROF

SHABIR MOOSA MEMBER AT LARGE, WONCA

PROF AMANDA HOWE PAST PRESIDENT, WONCA

JOIN THIS SIG

WP ON MENTAL HEALTH

ADVOCACY

IS AN ART THAT CAN BE LEARNED

THIS PROGRAM WAS FUNDED BY A DISCRETIONARY GRANT FROM WONCA EXECUTIVE, THE FARLEY CENTER AND FACULTY VOLUNTEERISM.

BACKGROUND

Theburdenofmentalhealthdisorderscontinues to grow and is a major cause of disability worldwide. Patients frequently present with mentalhealthissuesinprimarycaresettings The WONCA Working Party for Mental Health collaboratedwiththeFarleyHealthPolicyCenter todevelopandimplementapilotprogramtohelp youngfamilydoctorslearnthestepsandprocess tointegratementalhealthcareintoprimarycare delivery, develop the skills needed for practice transformation, and enable them to become advocatesforsystemchangeintheirlocalarea.

METHODS

Learners: Twelve young family physicians from ten countries Australia, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Spain, Sri Lanka, andTunisia inurbanandruralsettings.

Faculty:UnitedStates,England,HongKong

Two six person cohorts met in facilitated, virtual monthlysessionsviaZoomfor90minutes,March September 2020. Asynchronous learning occurred between sessions using e learning modules, books, and other resources Each participant set individual program goal and had access to mentorship from a senior family physician.Atwo phaseevaluationprocessatmid point and program end included learner focus groups, written questionnaires, and faculty focus groups.

CURRICULUM

Introduction to behavioural health integration Leadership Team basedcare Qualityimprovement Burnoutandresilience Advocacy

Prof Christopher Dowrick, WONCA Working Party for Mental Health

LEARNER PROGRAM GOALS

Educate other primary care clinicians and health care workers about integrated care, behavioural health conditions, and advocacy forbetterbehaviouralhealthcare(5learners) Improve team based care to address behaviouralhealthneeds(3learners)

Establish high quality systems of care to addressbehaviouralhealthneeds(2learners) Collate community resources for social prescribing(1learner)

Increase patient awareness of behavioral health issues and available supports (1 learner)

EVALUATION

Learners reported increased confidence and skills to implement change. They established clearvisionsforwhattheycandointheirown settings and made incremental progress on their program goals. “I now approach obstacles as a challenge. What I’ve learned last few weeks is never stop knocking on the door And if you find a closed door, could be directingyoutosomethingmoresuccessful.”

Learners were resilient, flexible, and committedtotheprogramduringtheCOVID 19 pandemic. Participating in the program was therapeutic and a reminder of why they choseprimarycare

Learnerswereinvestedineachother’sgoals andlives Theywereinspiredbyoneanother, valued the experience and expertise among the diverse group, and plan to remain connected. “Learning there are people trying to improve primary care around the world, especially related to mental health issues, is verymotivating.”

NEXT STEPS

Learners continue to work towards their program goals and stay connected via WhatsApp group, and with support from programfacultyandmentors.

Writeproposalstofundfuturecohorts.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE ADVOCACY TRAINING FOR YOUNG FAMILY DOCTORS IN PRIMARY MENTAL HEALTH CARE: A REPORT AND GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION

ASTANA DECLARATION

ANNIVERSARY

In1978,apivotalconferencewasheldinAlmaty, Kazakhstan,bringingtogetherhealthexpertsand world leaders to commit to health for all Endorsed at that conference, the declaration formed the foundation for the last 40 years of globalprimaryhealthcareefforts.

TheGlobalConferenceonPrimaryHealthCarein Astana, Kazakhstan in October 2018 endorsed a new declaration emphasizing the critical role of primary health care around the world. The declaration aims to refocus efforts on primary healthcaretoensurethateveryoneeverywhereis able to enjoy the highest possible attainable standardofhealth.

WONCAwaspresentattheGlobalConferenceon Primary Health Care in Astana. Now, on its 4th anniversary,welauncharecognitioncampaignto raise awareness for this international declaration and commitments to PHC strengthening, reflecting on progress/difficulties in different countries and sharing the perspectives of the WONCAYoungDoctorsMovements. READ THE DECLARATION HERE

WONCA was represented at the Global Conference on Primary Health Care by Past President, Dr Donald Li and former executive representatives

ASTANA DECLARATION ANNIVERSARY

YOUNG DOCTORS’ COMMITMENT TOWARDS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

An important International Conference on PrimaryHealthCarewasheldin,backthen,Alma Ata,Kazakhstan,in1978,bringingtogetherhealth experts and world leaders. The Alma Ata Declaration was adopted at this conference, which urged signatories to incorporate the concept of primary health care in their health systemstoprotectandpromote"healthofall".

Forty years later, the Global Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana, Kazakhstan, in October 2018, endorsed a new declaration reiteratingthecriticalroleofprimaryhealthcare worldwide The declaration aimed to refocus efforts on primary health care to ensure the highestpossibleattainablestandardofhealthfor everyone, everywhere. WONCA was also present at the Global Conference on Primary Health Care inAstanaasoneoftheprimarystakeholders

On the occasion of the 4th Anniversary of the Astana Declaration, the WONCA Young Doctors’ Movements (YDM), in collaboration with the Junior Doctors’ Network (JDN) of the World Medical Association WMA and young doctors of African Forum for Primary Health Care (AfroPHC) to launch a social media campaign to raise awareness on this international declaration and increase the young doctors' commitment to strengthen primary health care through their action. Acknowledging its importance, WONCA extended the social media campaign to all its members by introducing a commemorative ‘Astana Anniversary profile picture frame’ for socialmediausers.

ASTANA DECLARATION

ANNIVERSARY

The social media campaign by the WONCA YDM and all collaborating organisations ran from the 20th until the 26th of October when the original Astana Declaration was launched. The WONCA YDM promoted the campaign with three publications per day on Facebook for one week, with young doctors from all seven WONCA regional YDMs reflecting on progress and challenges in different countries, sharing the perspectives of WONCA YDM and showing their strong determination to achieve universal health coveragethroughfosteringprimarycare.

WONCA's official Facebook page, official Twitter handle and official LinkedIn account contributed to the campaign, furthering its reach. Similarly, WMA JDN and AfroPHC joined the campaign via theirsocialmediaplatforms.Alltheorganisations involved used the hashtags #Astana4PHC #youngdoctors4Astanatopromotethecampaign.

The Astana Declaration Anniversary campaign represents a successful effort, with extended reach and post engagements in social media platforms related to WONCA, WMA JDN and AfroPHC,reflectingtheyoungdoctors’willingness to commit to primary health care towards a promisingfuture

DR SANKHA RANDENIKUMARA

THE SPICE ROUTE CELEBRATES WORLD DIABETES DAY

Diabetes Mellitus has always been one of the biggestconcernsamonghealthcareprofessionals, with millions of people requiring ongoing care andsupporttomanagetheirconditionandavoid complications. According to the International Diabetes Federation, approximately 537 million adults globally are living with Diabetes Mellitus, with greater prevalence among the South Asian population Aconsiderablepartofthispopulation does not have access to Diabetes care. For that reason, stakeholders must act promptly to provide better access to medicine, technologies and support to these people Also, Governments should invest in Diabetes care, prevention, and screeningtomanagethisglobalhealthconcern.

Given the above statistics, the Spice Route Movement, the Young Doctor Movement of WONCA South Asia, virtually celebrated World Diabetes Day on November 14th with a webinar, part of the regular series of the Spice Route MovementCPDprogram.

The session, with the theme “Access to Diabetes Care”, was hosted by the Spice Route team Pakistan,withtheparticipationofyoungdoctors from multiple regions, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. During the session, moderated by Dr Wajeeha NoorulainfromPakistan,DrKrithikaGaneshfrom India presented on the topic “Role of Family Physicians in Diabetes Care”, followed by Dr Sharmeen Shiraz from Sri Lanka with the theme “Health Education and Diabetes Management”. The third speaker was Dr Hina Jawaid from Pakistan,whopresentedon“DiabetesandInsulin Management:APrimarycareperspective”

The speakers focused on the rising number of people affected by Diabetes, setting an added strain on the healthcare systems Speakers highlighted that among all the health care professionals, the role of a Family Physician is crucial in the early detection, diagnosis, management, and prevention of the condition A Primarycarephysiciancanprovideearlyandthe bestpossiblecaretopeoplelivingwithDiabetes, in need of access to ongoing education to understandtheirconditionandcarryoutthedaily self careessentialtostayinghealthyandavoiding complications Thesessionalsodiscussedtherole of Insulin in managing Diabetes, with the strategies that can help control the condition without possible complications. Presenters also reinforced the need for further activities highlighting the demand for better access to qualityDiabetes.

written by:

DR. ZAINAB. M. ANJARWALA

CHAIR: SPICE ROUTE MOVEMENT, YDM WONCA SOUTH ASIA

LESS THAN A YEAR AWAY FOR

WONCA VISITS SYDNEY

WONCA CEO, Dr Harris Lygidakis, and Associate Professor Bohumil Seifert, Chair of the WONCA 2013 Prague Conference, visited Sydney, Australia, where the WONCA World Conference willtakeplaceon26 29October2023,hostedby the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Thevisit,whichaimedtoreviewthepreparations for this celebration of primary care, was led by Adj.ProfKarenPrice,chairoftheHostOrganising Committee and RACGP President; Prof Mark Morgan, Chair of the Scientific Committee; Dr Nicole Higgins, RACGP President Elect; Paul Wappett RACGP CEO; and A/Prof Karen Flegg, WONCAPresidentElect.

During their stay, the WONCA representatives discovered the facilities of the International Convention Centre, where the WONCA Pre Conference and Conference 2023 will be held. They also visited the venue of the WONCA RegionalandWorldCouncilmeetingsin2023.(21 October 2023, and 22 24 October 2023, respectively)

“Thrilled to see the superb preparations of the organising team! This will be a wonderful way to celebrate WONCA’s 50th anniversary & connect with our community”, said Dr Harris Lygidakis, WONCACEO.

After nearly half a century, WONCA returns to Australia to celebrate its 50th anniversary in Sydney, where family doctors, GPs and primary healthcarespecialistsfromaroundtheworldwill come together for the largest global gathering of primary care to share research and discuss best practices, keeping communities healthy on an internationallevel

The WONCA World Conference 2023 will offer a dynamic program for in person attendees and a fully digital experience via the conference platformforthosenotabletomeetinperson.

Registration and call for submission are now open. Find all the information at the official website wonca.racgp.org.au and be a part of history at WONCA’s 50th anniversary conference inSydneyon26 29October2023!

WONCA 2023 IN SYDNEY WILL BE THE CONFERENCE OF YOUR CAREER

PROFESSOR MARK MORGAN CONFERENCE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE CHAIR

After 50 years of coming together as the World Organization of Family Doctors and after 2 years of being locked in by COVID 19, WONCA 2023 in Sydneywillbespecial.

My vision for the conference is that each participant will come away changed. I would like us all to feel a sense of excitement about the futureandfeelapartofaglobalcommunitywith both unique and shared experiences. One of the problemswithbeingfamilydoctorsspreadacross communitiesistheriskofisolation.

We spend much of the day seeing patients from our community working solo or in small teams. WONCA 2023 will be a chance to come together, and the program will ensure opportunities to meetandtalk Thereissomuchtolearnfromjust havingaconversation.

Theworldisjustwakinguptotheimportanceof primary care research. How primary care is organised, funded, chosen, delivered and improvedmakesaprofounddifferenceinthelives ofourpopulations.

Therearenewtoolsthatcanhelpusmakesense of the complexity of primary care with the analysisofroutinelycollecteddataatscale.There is also an ever greater awareness of the need to consider our patients as people with multiple interacting biopsychosocial and environmental needs. I am excited to learn more about the research being done all over the world to shape thefutureofprimarycare.

The program my committee is assembling will bring together some of the deepest thinking and influential keynote presenters who will provide insights and connections. Keep an eye on the presenterpageontheconferencewebsitetofind outmore

As Conference Scientific Committee chair, I welcomeyoutosubmitapresentationforWONCA 2023 Theprogramwehavedesignedallowsfora widevarietyofwaystoshareyourknowledgeand expertise.

Posterswillbepresentedinelectronicformat, oftenasinglePowerPointslide

Rapid Impact sessions encourage presenters to distil their key messages and findings into just 3 minutes followed by some question time. They are a great way to trigger conversationsandcollaborations

Longer sessions will vary from 15 minutes to 90 minutes The committee encourages innovationinsomeofourlongerpresentation typeswhethertheintentistoeducate,share, discuss, challenge, or inform. For example, a Professional Forum presentation might includedebatingornarrationwithpoetry

A full list of presentation styles can be found on the call for submissions page on the conference website Learning new skills and improving existing skills are some of the joys in the life of professionals. Medicine is changing at an ever increasing rate, so it is a fundamental necessity for all of us to continuously learn. The program will be packed with opportunities to join interactiveeducationalsessions.

WONCA2023islessthanayearaway Iamlooking forwardtoworkingwithmycommitteetomakeit the most exciting and transformative conference inyourcareer.

PROGRAM SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE EXTENDED

7TH WONCA AFRICA REGION CONFERENCE 2022

ABUJA, NIGERIA | 24 26 NOVEMBER 2022

WELCOME MESSAGE

MydearFriendsandColleagues,

I am Dr Dan Abubakar, the WONCA Africa Region President and the Chairman of the Host Organising Committee for the 7th WONCA Africa Region conference taking place in Abuja, Nigeria from 24th to 26th November 2022 at the NAF Conference Centre The conference is tagged “WONCAAbuja2022”

Iwelcomeyoualltotheeventwhichpromisesto be very exciting and afford us the opportunity to meetphysically,network,discussandimplement positive changes. It will be the second time Nigeria is hosting this event, the first was held hereinAbuja21yearsago Theconferencewillbe [HYBRID]bothphysicalandvirtualandwillafford colleagueswhoareunabletotraveltoNigeria,the opportunitytofullyparticipateintheevent.

The theme of the conference is: Africa’s Health Systems and Preparedness for Global Health Emergencies.

TheSub themesoftheConferenceare:

1. Psychosocial and economic burden of global healthemergencies:TheAfricanperspective.

2. Challenges to providing effective frontline healthcareinAfrica

3 Ensuring health personnel safety during epidemicsandpandemics.

4. Sustaining health professionals’ mentorship andeducationduringepidemicsandpandemics.

The topics were painstakingly selected to reflect and address the present day healthcare challengesfacingAfricanfamilyphysicians.

I invite you all to register for the conference and join us in Abuja in November 2022. Abuja is the administrativeandpoliticalcapitaloftheFedera Republic of Nigeria, a serene city with modern facilitiesforlearningandacityknownforculture and hospitality. A city with many monuments historicalsitesandattractions.

Abuja is defined by Aso Rock, a 400 metre monolith left by water erosion. The Presidential Complex,NationalAssembly,SupremeCourtand much of the city extend to the south of the rock. ZumaRock,a792metremonolith,liesjustnorth ofthecity

Welookforwardtowelcomingyouandhundreds of family doctors from around the world to the conference24 26NOV2022 Wepromisetomake the event exciting, interesting and educationally rewarding.

R DAN ABUBAKAR hairman, LOC woncaafricaregion@gmail com

WONCA ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE

BALI, INDONESIA | 5 7 DECEMBER

WELCOME MESSAGE

DearFriendsandColleagues,

I am Isti Ilmiati Fujiati, on behalf of the Host Organizing Chair would like to extend to you a warm invitation for The Wonca Asia Pacific RegionalConferencecomingupinBali,theIsland ofGods,in5 7December2022.

The Wonca Asia Pacific Regional Conference this time will be the first face to face international conference held after the two years period of Covid 19 pandemic It will be a great opportunities to share our experiences in family medicine and primary care which play important roles in most parts of the world during the pandemic.Thisconferencewillgiveusallchances to meet, discuss and implement positive change under the theme primary health care transformation, challenges and opportunities for familymedicine.KnowingBaliasoneofawesome destinationwithnumerousbeautifulbeachesand sites will be an additional pleasure to all participants In addition, the hospitality of Balinese is also a hallmark and can make us feel athome.

The Wonca Asia Pacific Regional Conference will consistofpre conference,workshops,plenary

sessions, symposiums, oral and poster presentations. We will have as well credible speakers from well known institutes. We are really proud to host and present this incredible event We sincerely hope that the event will be beneficial for all of us and we surely are looking forwardtoseeyouallinBali.

IstiIlmiatiFujiati

28TH WONCA EUROPE CONFERENCE

7 10 JUN 2023, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

The 28th WONCA Europe conference will be held inBrussels,Belgium,fromJune7thto10th2023. The theme will be “Making Choices in Primary Care” The abstract submission deadline is January10th2023.

Registrationisopen!Donothesitateandtake thechancetogetanearlybirdpriceandsave. Pleasecontributewithyourparticipationand registerHERE.

Still,hesitatingaboutsubmittinganabstract? We encourage you to contribute with your knowledge Followtheguidelinesforabstract submission

We are happy to introduce to you the members of the Scientific and Organising Committees. Findthecompletelisthere.

WONCA YDM- WP/SIG COLLABORATIVE WEBINAR SERIES

SECOND SESSION IS COMING SOON!

Join the webinar “Fall in Older Persons”, organised by the Rajakumar Movement in collaboration with the WONCA SIG on Ageing & Health. Sunday,20thNovember,7:00AMUTC

Did you miss the webinar “The Young Family Doctor and Environmental Challenges”?Thesession,organisedby MovimientoWaynakayincollaboration with the Working Party on the Environment,isnowavailableonline.

UNIVERSITY

OF TORONTO DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE

VIRTUAL TORONTO INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY MEDICINE AND PRIMARY CARE (V-TIPS)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The virtual edition of the Toronto International Program to Strengthen Family Medicine and Primary Care (V TIPS) is informed by nearly a decade of engagement with international family medicine leaders and champions through our yearly in person TIPs FM program. The virtual program provides an overview of how to leverage excellence in education, research, clinical services and leadership to deliver high quality family medicine globally, by sharing experience and building on lessons learned at theDFCM,inCanadaandaroundtheworld.

Taught by faculty leaders from the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) and international guest faculty, this year's program willrunfromMarch29 June14,2023.

V TIPS is delivered over 12 weeks through asynchronous and synchronous sessions with a focus on collaborative learning. The program includes weekly readings, pre recorded videos, andaweekly90 minutesessiondeliveredliveon Zoom on Wednesdays at 7am EST Where indicated, weekly synchronous sessions are recorded for future reference. In addition, bi weeklydrop insessionswillbeoffere

PROGRAM GOAL

This program will enable participants to strengthen family medicine (FM) and comprehensive primary care (CPC) in their own setting through state of the art education, evidence informed high quality care and transformativeleadership.

AUDIENCE

V TIPS is a program for current and emerging leaders in the areas of health services delivery, policy and academia interested in strengthening familymedicineandcomprehensiveprimarycare asacoreelementofhealthsystems FIND MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTER NOW!

LSHTM WEBINAR SERIERS: PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: THE HEART OF EVERY HEALTH SYSTEM

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) invites you to a ten part seminarseriesthatwillrunfromOctober2022to July2023

The series provides an overview of the key features and functions of PHC, the potential of PHCinallhealthsystemsanditsroleinachieving universal health coverage Sessions draw on examplesacrossdifferentsettings.

For more details and joining instructions follow links"with"Formoredetails,joininginstructions andrecordingsofpreviouseventsfollowlinks:

12.45 13.45,Wed5Oct2022:PanelDiscussion.PrimaryHealthCare:Theheartofeveryhealthsystem?

12.45 13.45,Wed2Nov2022,WhatisPrimaryHealthCare?

12.45 13.45,Wed7Dec2020,AchievingPrimaryHealthCarethroughMultisectoralActionandPolicy 12.45 13.45,WedJan2023,EmpoweringPeopleandCommunities

Feb2023,IntegratingPrimaryCareandPublicHealth

Mar2023,FinancingPrimaryCare

Apr2023,GettingthePrimaryCareWorkforceright May2023,Holdingittogether:PrimaryCareInfrastructure Jun2023,Measuring,regulating,andimproving PrimaryCare

Jul23,PanelDiscussion:PrimaryHealthCareat theheartofeveryhealthsystem anachievable dream?