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Asian Region
Special Lecture Topics Papers |
Zhang Zikuan Named Asian Chief The Asian Chapter's Executive Board meeting was called to order on November 11, 1999, to work out a major reshuffle in its leadership and decided that the IX Asian Congress of Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health be held in the Korean city of Kyonju in 2002. As the ailing Dr. Toshikazu Wakatsuki, president of the Asian Chapter, was not on hand, Secretary General Dr. Shosui Matsushima deliver- ed an opening address and reported about the chapter's activities. In the report, he briefed on the International Conference on Woman and Child held in India on November 1 1 - 1 4, 1998, by the Association of Agricultural Association of Rural Medicine in India, the 48th General Convention of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine in Matsue city on October 28-29, 1999, and the 50th Session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, World Health Organization, in Macao on September 13-17, 1999. Dr. Matsushima also informed the parficipants of IAMMRH activities in regions other than Asia. Dr. Myung Ho Kim reported about major activities in the Korean Society of Rural Medicine. The Korean chapter held four scientific sessions in 1998 and 1999. Dr. Kim also briefed the participants on a joint Korean-Nepalese project to which he commits himself. Then, Dr. Zhang Zikuan, president of the VHI Asian Congress of Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health, gave an account of its organisation and management and the number of participants. He said that 300 persons from 10 countries took part in the congress, including 190 from China. One important task for the General Assembly was the proposal unanimously approved by the chapter's Executive Board for reelection of executive Board members. As Dr. Wakatsuki had ex- pressed his intention of resigning as president, ample time was set aside for a discussion on who should be nominated as president. Given the strong recommendations made by Dr. Wakatsuki and the Indian and Korean delegates, the Executive Board decided to nominate Dr. Zhang. The Executive Board also unanimously de- cided to recommend Dr. Wakatsuki as life presi- dent, a newly established post, in view of his dis- tinguished contributions to the chapter. For the establishment of this post, the Executive Board decided to dispense the trouble of amending the Statutes. As regards the Vice Presidents, the president of the next Asian congress is supposed to be designated as First President and that of the present congress as Second Vice President according to the custom. With a view to avoiding the concurrent serving of the president of the current congress as Second Vice President, it was decided to keep the position of the Second Vice President vacant. From Japan, Dr. Matsushima, the Secretary General, and Dr. Shin Tonouchi were elected members of the Executive Board. Dr. Zhang and Dr. Matsushima assumed their posts on condition that they would leave them after the end of a three- year term. It was hoped that the Secretariat be kept at the Saku Central Hospital as before. As regards the IX Asian Congress of Agricul- tural Medicine and Rural Health, the Republic of Korea declared its candidacy. Khang Pock-Soo, professor at Yeungnan University, will serve as president of this congress in Kyonju City in 2002. At the General Assembly held on the occasion of the closing ceremony on the last day of the congress, on November 14, the Executive Board's proposals, referred to above, were unexception- ably approved. In his closing remarks, Dr. Zhang reflected on the congress and said that science and information were fully exchanged, thus enabling participants to agree on lines of policy, and that the congress Asian Chapter's Newly Elected Executive Board President: Zhang Zikuan (China) Honorary President: Toshikazu Wakatsuki 1st Vice President: Kang Pock-Soo (Korea) 2nd Vice President: Vacant Secretary General: Shosui Matshima (Japan) BoardDirectors Chang Yude (China), Kim Doo lEe (Korea), Kim Myung Ho (Korea), Le Hung Lam (Vietnam), M.S. Mhaske (India), Ashok Patil (India), Shin Tonouchi (Japan), Mukda Trishnananda (Thailand), Fumio Tsunoda (Japan), Y. Yodfat (Israel) made it possible to deepen knowledge about primary health care, environmental pollution, noncomrnunicable disease in the rural setting. The parficipants were also able to acquaint themselves with medical care in rural communities on their visits to the cities of Foshan and Shunde. Many foreign participants agreed that medical care in China had been significantly developed. Chinese delegates were aware, nonetheless, that improvements had yet to be made in the delivery of medical care in remote rural China. They also said that they had been able to deepen their ties of friendship with their Chinese counterparts. An Overview of VIII Asian Congress Held in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, the VIU Asian Congress is the second Chinese-hosted one after the 111 Asian congress held in Beij ing in 1988, or the third, when the XI International Congress of Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health in Beijing in 1991 is included. The Guangzhou congress was held under the main theme of "Toward Remarkable Development of Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health in the 21st Century." Congress President Dr. Zhang Zikuan has associated with many colleagues of the Asian Chapter since the 1988 congress. Having once served as director-general of medical adminis- tration in the Chinese Department of Health, Dr. Zhang is president of the Chinese Rural Health Association and the Chinese Hospitals Associa- tion. The Guangzhou congress came to a successful end thanks to the financial support of the Government of Guangtung Province and the Government of Guangzhou City, to say the least of the Chinese Rural Health Association's leadership. The first day of the congress was set aside only for registration and a welcome party. About 300 participants were escorted by bus to the Add Mubin Hotel for the party. The opening ceremony was started on the second day at 8:30 a.m. with a speech by Dr. Zhang. He said that the congress was attended by 300 participants from 10 countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, India, Israel, Swe- den and Poland. Dr. Zhang was followed by Guangtung Provincial Governor Li Lanfang and myself on behalf of the Asian Chapter. In a special lecture, Dr. Peng Yu, Vice Mnister of Health touched on the present status and development of rural health in his country, admitting that there remain gaps between the urban and rural areas, when it comes to the deliv- ery of community care, in China, which after all is a vast country. The second special lecture came from Fumio Tsunoda, professor emeritus at lwate Medical University in Japan, on environmental pollution with chemicals, providing a candid view about Japan's experience in environmental pollution. His speech contained instructions which would be of use to Asian countries. The speaker of the third special lecturer was Dr. Jie Cheng, executive director of noncommuni- cable diseases at the World Health Organization, who elaborated on the WHO approach to the pre- vention of noncommunicable diseases (NCD). Noting that the prevalence of NCD is on the increase not only in the developing but in the developed worlds as well, she emphasized the need to deal with this problem with the involve- ment of governments, nongovemmental organiza- tions and communities. The highlight of the second day was the Recreation Party, where traditional Chinese music was performed. After a sumptuous dinner at the Guangzhou Hotel, the venue of the congress, the participants were escorted by bus to the Guang- tung Xinghui Music Agency building, a newly completed music hall. The presentation of scientific papers was done on the third day. The main hall was reserved for presentation by Chinese and foreign participants, whereas another hall was set aside exclusively for Chinese delegates, as so many papers had been submitted to the Organizing Committee from a- cross China. The number of papers, including those of the special lectures ran up to a total of 143 in the following 12 themes. They were : clinical medicine (38 papers); prevention of infections and parasitic diseases (8); prevention of dental diseases and health care (6); maternal and child care, mental hygiene and seniors' care (17); food sanitation and nutrition (5); environmental pollution, supply of clean water and waste disposal (10); industrial health and health care by smaller businesses (1 5); health care and social welfare (1 1); new trends and changes in primary health care (8); role of traditional Chinese medicine in primary health care (2); health promotion and education (10); and health care workers, resources and financial sources (1 0). On the fourth day, congress participants visited nearby rural communities and attended parties. The hospitals they visited engaged in the delivery of primary through tertiary medical care, and the participants called at the 20-bed Xiaohuangpu Branch of the Gu Hospital, 280-bed Rongqi Hospital and 630-bed First People's Hospital in Shunde City, and 956-bed First People's Hospital in Foshan City. The Xiaohuangpu Branch is liter- ally a front-line medical center, whereas the Foshan's First People's Hospital is equipped to delivery terdary medical care. The closing ceremony was held at the Foshan First People's Hospital, followed by a farewell party at the Foshan Hotel. The summaries of the three special lectures follow: Cover Page Asian Region Special Lecture Topics Papers Next |