IMA leaders attend the 206th WMA Council Meeting in Zambia

Leaders from world over debate on key issues including medical tourism and organ trafficking, medical cannabis

New Delhi, April 27, 2017: The 206th Council Meeting of the World Medical Association (WMA) was held in Zambia from 20th to 22nd April 2017 and was attended by almost 200 delegates from more than 30 national medical associations.

Leading the discussions were Dr Ketan Desai, President WMA and Chairman International Wing IMA; Dr Arron, President, Zambia Medical Association; Dr Hoven Ardis, Chair, WMA; and Dr Otmar Kloiber Secretary General WMA.

The IMA delegation from India was led by Dr KK Aggarwal National President along with council member Dr Ajay Kumar and Dr Ved Prakash Mishra.

In his presidential report during the council meeting, Dr Ketan Desai, President World Medical Association said,  “National Medical Associations play a significant and crucial role in shaping the health care delivery system of the respective countries in the larger interest of their citizens. The right to health is neither a luxury nor a charity. It must reach all and sundry including the weakest of the weak, poorest of the poor, and the remotest of the remote. It is our joint responsibility as leaders of the healthcare systems to ensure that every citizen from every part of the world is extended a meaningful right to health”.

As part of the meeting, key documents readied under the leadership of Dr KK Aggarwal – National President IMA pertaining to Assisted Reproductive Technologies and HIV were presented, deliberated and finally adopted by the council. The creative contribution by the IMA towards quality assurance in medical education was acclaimed and appreciated.

Speaking about the meeting and discussions, Dr K K Aggarwal, National President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI), said, “The council meeting of WMA saw physician leaders from national medical associations around the world debating on a number of key issues. Policy proposals such as those on medical tourism, boxing, medical cannabis, and climate change hold national and international relevance. There is a need to allocate a larger role and responsibility to the African countries so that they are in the mainstream of global participation and this meeting held in Zambia is certainly the right step in that direction. It is heartening that the visibility of the IMA at the council meeting by virtue of well-articulated participation on all matters before the council meeting for consideration was noteworthy and well-recognized. I, along with Dr Vinay Aggarwal, also appreciate and acknowledge being re-nominated for another term on the ethics committee of WMA.”

IMA also interacted with other member countries on the side-lines of the council meeting on the matters of mutual concerns and interests and for evolving a roadmap for formal joint ventures. The event also saw the IMA and China Medical Association sign an MOU under the IMA-CMA initiative. Further to this, the general assembly of the WMA would be held at Chicago in October 2017 wherein Dr Ved Prakash Mishra will represent IMA in the WMA advocacy group as also chair a session on medical education in Chicago.