Tamas Fülöp Award - The network - Towards Unity For Health

Member and organisational News
REPRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS/CONFERENCES
J U L Y 2 0 0 8
N E W S L E T T E R N U M B E R 0 1 | V O L U M E 2 7
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The Network: TUFH is being represented at meetings and conferences all over the
world. Here is a report of one of our representatives.
Frontline Medicine:
From Natural Disasters to Daily Care
WONCA 8 th International Rural Health
Conference, Nigeria, February 2008
Three hundred members attended - the majority
from Nigeria - dynamic and ebullient
and welcoming. Sadly, rumours about security
deterred visitors from outside. But Calabar
appeared well ordered, organisers ensured
security and there was no sense of
threat. The Organising Committee was
chaired by Ndifreke Udonwa and the Scientific
Committee by Victor Inem. They and
their teams of workers overcame all challenges.
Mutually Supportive Relationship
WONCA and The Network: TUFH are seeking
a mutually supportive relationship. This
partnership was discussed by the Rural
Health Working Party, chaired by Ian Couper
from Witwatersrand University, South Africa.
I was asked to represent The Network: TUFH.
The organisations have different aims but
share common ground in rural communitybased
medical education and commitments
to primary care. They are jointly seeking discussion
at the World Health Assembly for:
• the HARP initiative (Health for all Rural
People), and
• the 15by2015 initiative to ensure by the
year 2015 that 15% of vertical programme
funding be allocated to strengthening integrated
local primary care systems.
WONCA proposed to The Network: TUFH that
the relationship be developed as follows:
• Consultation will continue at the
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
International Conference: Community;
Medical Education in the North (ICE-
MEN) in Sudbury Ontario, June 8 to 14,
2008: http://normedsps.lakeheadu.ca/
icemen/default.aspx
• WONCA Rural Health members will
attend the Network: TUFH Conference in
Colombia for further discussion in
September: www.the-networktufh.org/
conference
• A joint workshop at the WONCA Rural
Health World Conference in Crete in
2009 (www.ruralwonca2009.org) will
plan for a joint full meeting in 2011.
Remembrance
The conference opening ceremony and celebratory
dinner were marked by the remembrance
of the contribution to general practice
of two historic figures in the early
development of general practice in Nigeria.
The first was S.IE. Emoke, of this very region,
one of the first Nigerian trained practitioners.
The second was C. Andrew Pearson of
the Wesley Guild Mission hospital, who was
a leader in establishing of this training.
Pearson’s son Bryon presented the album of
his fathers’ photographic record of those
early beginnings, to remain permanently in
Nigeria. He reminded me I had spoken about
McMaster at the 1979 launching conference.
The first day of the Calabar conference
was rich with seminars, training sessions
and presentations on the main theme and
on wide ranging topics. The day closed with
an outdoor evening reception at University
of Calabar Teaching Hospital.
Okoyong
On the second day we were bussed to the
rural community of Okoyong. Here my keynote
address, Lessons from Community-Based
Education in Five Continents, was held in
brilliant sunshine, the PowerPoint invisible.
Pictures were in words and action. Fifteen
graduates of Ilorin were in the audience.
Three I had taught 30 years ago! Discussion
to and fro became part of the talk, verifying
my account. Who needs technology We
were greeted by the Paramount Chief, an
The Network: TUFH is being represented
at meetings and conferences all over the
world:
• Geneva Health Forum 2008, May
2008, Switzerland. Represented by Jan
de Maeseneer.
• Global Forum on Human Resources for
Health, March 2008, Uganda.
Represented by Sarah Kiguli.
• WONCA 8 th International Rural Health
Conference, February 2008, Nigeria.
Represented by John Hamilton.
• Bellagio Conference on Expanding
Frontiers in Medical Education,
September 2008. Represented by
Abraham Joseph.
• Global Health Council’s 35 th Annual
International Conference, May 2008,
USA. Represented by Jan de Maeseneer
and Pertti Kekki.
anaesthetist. Then moved to the old home of
Mary Slessor, an early missionary, much revered
in this area to which she brought Presbyterian
ministry, healthcare and protection
for newborn twins who were believed to be
evil. And then we got down to serious exchange
with the community at the village
meeting house, with speeches, music, singing
and dancing. The officers of the Rural
Health Working Party and Chris van Weel
(President of WONCA) were robed and inducted
as Chiefs, followed by more singing
and dancing.
The working party returned the compliments
of the elders by proposing that a fund be
raised to repair and update the clinic. A cultural
evening in Calabar and a thoughtful
visit to the Museum of Slavery closed the
day.
The Network: TUFH should look forward to
working with WONCA Rural Health.
John Hamilton | Professor Emeritus,
Department of Medicine and Public
Health, Faculty of Health, The University
of Newcastle, Australia
Email: jha06187@bigpond.net.au