Message from the President
“The world is again facing the threat of a deadly infection. After the Ebola outbreaks in Africa, the World Health Organisation has declared the novel coronavirus, spreading from Wuhan city of China since December, another Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). While health care systems are put to a tough test, it is also a critical moment that the roles and responsibilities of family doctors are recognised.
We need to emphasise and appreciate the functions of family doctors and the primary care teams in early case detection and public education during emergencies. General Practitioners all over China are now the front-line workers in emergency response and performing their duties under tremendous stress and working round the clock every day. We need to acknowledge their contributions and provide them with encouragement. At the link you will find a letter written by chair of the General Practice Branch of the Cross-Strait Medical and health Exchange Association (member organisation of WONCA) to all the general practitioners in China to encourage them and show appreciation. I welcome greetings and words of encouragement from all of you to our Chinese colleagues during such difficult time”.
Link to the letter English/ Chinese translation
Corona Virus: BJGP Article
BJGP Open has recently published an article on Corona Virus. Authors include our current President, Dr Donald Li, and Immediate Past President, Professor Amanda Howe.
WONCA Featured Doctor: Asst Prof Nena KOPČAVAR GUČEK, Slovenia
One of this month’s featured doctors is Nena Kopcavar Gucek of Slovenia, who is Co-Convenor of WONCA's SIG on Family Violence. She is employed as a full time family practitioner in the Community Health Care Center of Ljubljana in Slovenia, and is also a faculty member of the Department of Family Medicine, University of Ljubljana, currently as Assistant Professor. For several years she has been involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, as a teacher and as a mentor and has been a member of research groups at her clinic and at the department.
WONCA/Besrour Prizes for Emerging Researchers
Are you submitting an abstract for an oral or poster presentation at the WONCA World conference in Abu Dhabi? If so, you may be eligible to apply for consideration of an award for the best oral or poster presentation by an emerging researcher from a low or middle income country (LMIC). Awards of $5000 (USD) for the best oral presentation, and $2000 (USD) for the best poster presentation, are being generously provided by Dr Sadok Besrour from the Besrour Centre for Global Family Medicine at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. To find out more go to the link.
WONCA APR Conference in Auckland
A further reminder of the WONCA Asia Pacific Region conference at the Aotea Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, from 23rd to 26th April. One of the keynote speakers will be Professor Ian Couper from South Africa, and you can read an interview with him in this month’s news.
