WONCA meetings at the 76th World Health Assembly

On the occasion of the 76th World Health Assembly, WONCA President Anna Stavdal, CEO Harris Lygidakis, and Executive Member at Large and WHO Liaison, Prof Val Wass participated in a series of strategic meetings with WHO experts and representatives of other civil society organizations that have collaborative relationships with WONCA, to explore and identify potential areas of collaboration.

WONCA also hosted a side event in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Indonesia the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Besrour Centre to discuss the transformation of primary care and the crucial role of family medicine in enabling integrated primary health services. The event aimed to highlight the efforts undertaken by Indonesia and other countries to reorient its healthcare model towards a primary healthcare and people-centred approach. Read more here.



During their visit, the WONCA delegation held meetings with Dr Geneviève Moineau and Professor Ricardo León-Borquez from the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), Lucía Pérez Gómez from the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), Dr Pamela Cipriano, President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and ICN CEO Howard Catton; and Prof Bettina Borisch, Executive Director of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA).





WONCA President, Dr Anna Stavdal also met leaders from the WHO, Dr Bente Mikkelsen, director of the division of Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO, Dr Slim Slama, unit leader at the NCDs Department, Alarcos Cieza, responsible for the Vision, Audition, Disability and Rehabilitation Department, to discuss the pivotal role of family doctors in combating Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).

During the second and third day of activities, the delegation from WONCA had the opportunity to participate in significant meetings with key World Health Organization (WHO) experts. Among them were Dr Jim Campbell, the Health Workforce Director, and Dr John Fogarty, the WHO officer responsible for Integrated Health Services, Clinical Services, and Systems. These meetings served as crucial points of connection between WONCA and the WHO, facilitating important discussions and collaborations between the organizations.