The World Organisation of Family Doctors hosted its international conference in Sydney which coincided with its 50th anniversary and the handover of its Presidency to our own Aussie Associate Professor Karen Flegg.
A large number of AFMW Members attended and some presented, myself included.
Dr Marjorie Cross (NSW & ACT & Regional)
Dr Melanie Dorrington ( ACT)
A/Professor Louise Stone (ACT)
Dr Kate Wylie (SA)
A/Professor Margaret Kay AM ( QLD)
We were inspired by the gathering of more than 4300 family doctors from around the globe. The keynotes were outstanding and what set the benchmark was the opening address by outgoing president Dr Anna Stavdal.
Opening Address
Here’s a summary of the incredible Opening Address.
Summary: Health care in uncertain times
As GPs, our mandate is to decipher the totality of the patients’ needs -which rests on the generalist.
Change forces such as geopolitical forces, climate change, societal shifts, medical trends such as specialisation & fragmentation of health care, commercialisation, consumerism and digitalisation/AI all impact us and our practices directly.
Some key points:
- Length of GP relationship is related to better health – the longer the relationship the better the outcome for the individual & the nation because of lower use of services
in other words, GPs contribute to national stability. - Global shifts are occuring – The World Values Survey (WVS) reveals:
- a shift from traditional cultures dominating values to self expression having an impact on values also referred to as Emancipated Moral Progression
- these shifts in values are linked to cultural development & impact the entire country this means traditional cultures are shrinking as an influence.
- The trend toward Emancipated Moral Progression – Emancipation aids stability – populations become more educated, they use contraception, have fewer kids, the descendants become more expressive educated & empowered.
- Freedom of choice & emancipatory values transcend geographical & cultural barriers – Its effects are the same east & west of the globe.
- GPs contribute to national and global stability – As generalist health care providers, GPs play an important role in raising the health literacy of our patients and with each encounter, we help create a healthier person one by one, thereby a healthier nation which has global implications.
Gallery
Below are some snapshots of the sessions we hosted.
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is a Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
