Report on MWIA Northern Europe (NE) Business meeting: There were 17 MWIA members present. They had all attended the MWF Spring Conference Redefining Health with Women Doctors the previous day.
Elizabeth Lichtenstein outgoing Regional Vice president introduced Sarah Fitzgibbon the incoming NE VP. President of MWIA Eleanor Nwadinobi announced that Mandakini Megh VP Central Asia, will become the next MWIA President-elect.The next NE regional meeting will be held in the Netherlands, close to Amsterdam on June 5th and 6th next year. Denmark and Iceland have become inactive MWIA members. Dr Genevieve Koolhaas from the Netherlands had met Government Ministers to express the concerns of women doctors. She noted the negative impact of Donald Trump’s policies on the health and rights of women. She advocated an MWIA statement which would reassure and attract more female members. Professor Melanie Davies UK stressed the limitation of reproductive rights had been problematic for 3 years. Germany has a reputation for freedom and democracy, Dr Renate Boehm noted that if MWIA Central and Northern Europe regions join, freedoms could be urgently addressed. Swiss law states that MWIA is apolitical. Eleanor Nwadinobi had her funding on safeguarding cut.
Exploration of how MWIA could combat the backlash on women’s rights should be further explored in Cairo at the Triennial Congress. There then followed a well-attended symposium on Violence against Women and Girls.
Dr. Phillipa Greenfield UK gave the first presentation. In the UK there is increased reporting of sexual assault, but conviction rates are dropping, the lowest since records began. A similar picture exists across Western Europe. There is a lack of cross government/sector approaches. The need is critical to improve the understanding of, and harms, caused by VAWG.
Dr Stella Rakama Blomgren, National Coordinator for Sweden, outlined the factors for violence in the home, online violence, Child and Forced marriages, Prostitution, Trafficking, FGM. She detailed the history of violence in Sweden – the timeline from 1864 to 2022. The ‘Actors’ involved in management from 1974 to 2022 included in 1993, a National Centre for Battered and Raped Women and in 2022 a National Coordination body against Honor based Violence and Oppression, linked, but independent of health.
The second MWIA symposium discussed The Woman Doctor and her Work Environment. Professor Johanna Ajanki detailed the Family Leave Reform, a significant initiative in Finland which increases equity in Family Life. The symposium illustrated examples of legislation and the rights of women and highlighted how inclusion of a sample of the varied services that can be reformed has a large impact. It also sampled legal arguments. It was agreed that there was a barrier in the hierarchy of services. It was lively, engaging and well attended.
BMA President Dr. Mary McCarthy participated in the main MWF Conference, as did Professor Dame Jane Dacre who, has taken over as MWF President from former president Professor Scarlett McNally.
The MWF strategic objectives for 2025–30 include 5 P’s: raising our Profile, supporting women medical students and doctors to reach their full Potential, tackling inequality in health and care Policy, to fund raise and increase membership and Prosperity and Partnership with other organisations.
Dr Amanda Owen, past MWF national coordinator for MWIA
Fig 1.MWIA NE Business Meeting
Fig 2. MWIA members at Downing College, Cambridge
Fig 3. MWF new president, Jane Dacre (on rt) presenting Scarlett McNally, immediate past president with a gift
In other news
Fig 4. MWF officers at Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on the invitation of our patron, HRH the Duchess of Gloucester
Fig 5. Dr Amanda Owen at the Serbian Embassy in London
In February, Dr Amanda Owen represented MWF at ‘The Eleventh Annual Memorial Service for Women in
Foreign Medical Missions in Serbia during the Great War.’ A presentation of a portrait in memory of Dr Elsie
Inglis, founder of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Service took place at the Serbian Embassy in
London. Dr Inglis was a trail blazing doctor and MWF commemorated her with a bed of roses in 2019 at her
monument in Serbia. Amanda met with representatives of the Imperial War Museum and Serbian Royalty at
the Serbian Embassy in London.
Free named theatre hats for medical students!
In an initiative by Professor McNally, MWF was successful in a bid for funding from the Royal College of
Surgeons of England and the Centre for Perioperative Care for named theatre hats. These were made to size
and style (elasticated, hijab or Afro/large hair) and funding was provided for 250 hats.
Dr Clarissa Fabre
National Coordinator