Dame Dr. Claribel Abam – MWIA Regional Vice President for Near East and Africa
The 10th Regional Congress of MWIA Near East and Africa Region (NEAR) was held in Livingstone, Zambia from 8-10 May 2024 with the theme One humanity: Health Solutions through our Partnerships.
ATTENDANCE
A total of 385 persons registered for the Congress. Of this number 327 attended, with 250 in physical attendance while 77 joined online.
13 Countries were represented physically and online including DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Dr Clarissa Fabre (Past President of MWIA) from Britain and Dr Beverly Johnson from Canada who is responsible for Publicity and creating visibility for MWIA were present. They both shared their knowledge and experiences with participants at the congress.
SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS
There were four Plenary Sessions covering the following topics
– Inclusivity in achieving health equity
– Leveraging Partnerships to accelerate Universal Health Care and Equity of Access to Health
– Physician Focus: Care for the Carer
– Ground-breaking Innovations in restricted settings
There were 39 Abstracts presented in four sessions of three groups per session in the three days of the event. They covered RMCAH-N; Communicable Diseases; Non communicable Diseases; Medical Education, Leadership & Mentoring; Operative & Surgical subspecialties.
Poster Presentations took place on Day 2 with a wide range of Posters covering the subthemes of the congress.
REGIONAL MEETING
The Regional Meeting took place on Day 3 with 12 National Associations in attendance. Cameroon 1, Egypt 1, Ghana 3, Lesotho 2, Nigeria 22, Sierra Leone 1, Tanzania 10, Uganda 1, Zambia 112 attended as full delegates. DR Congo 1, Senegal 1 Malawi 1 had observer status since they were not up to date financially with MWIA. Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, South Africa, and Zimbabwe were absent. Major decisions were reached on activities to achieve the objectives of MWIA.
OTHER MATTERS
- New National Association
Plans are at an advanced stage to form a national association in Chad. This effort is being co-ordinated by Dr Habsita Mahamat Abakar. They are at the stage of drafting their constitution. - The Region has requested to be split into two for more effective management. Resolutions to that effect have been forwarded to the EXCO.
CONCLUSION
MWIA NEAR is making steady progress in growth numerically and otherwise. The region is represented in most MWIA Committees and Special Interest Groups. The National Associations are making an impact in advocacy and service delivery at various levels. Most of them are recognized by their governments and are working closely with the authorities for policy formulation and information dissemination. The Congress was an opportunity to share most of these experiences and best practices for which everyone is grateful. It was indeed a successful event.