Physician's role in health care internationally. They mention WONCA (http://www.globalfamilydoctor.com), an international organization or organizations of which the AAFP is a member.
Q&A:
A comment was made by a student from Alabama about the importance of recognizing underserved populations domestically that have very similar problems to those internationally.
(applause)
Q: What value does an "outside" health care professional offer to a population internationally?
A: The goal is not to bring US system abroad, but to listen to the community and provide necessary resources for the local population. This includes education and material support. The first step is listening.
Q: What is the Family Medicine community doing to be more known in the field of Global Health?
A: WONCA is part of the WHO and are trying to implement policy to promote FM. There is also a lack of individual promotion of work being done by Family docs internationally.
Some publication that were mentioned:
- "Health System Change: the contribution of Family Medicine" (WHO & WONCA)
- "Directory of Residencies with International Rotations" (AAFP)
Closing Remarks:
We have a responsibily to promote FM without paternalism & arrogance. We have a lot to learn about health care as a human right, about equity in a society, and about population medicine. So, at the end of the day, let's make sure that wherever we go, that place is better off for us having been there.
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Comments:
The Global Health movement is combining international health with health of underserved populations domestically, realizing that they have similar challenges. I can imagine that the next step in this logic is really redifining "health care" as a human right. That a human is a human is a human, no matter the geography. That the health of a population, as determined by system-wide structures, matters to the health of an individual. I see Family Medicine as uniquely poised to lead the way in this movement and that's why I am choosing this path!
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