Dr. Emmanuel P. Amegashie has been appointed Chair of Family Medicine at the West African College of Physicians’ (WACP) 41st Congress in Dakar, Senegal recently. The former Chair was Dr. Patrick Coker, a Sierra Leonean physician.
The congress, attended by over 400 physicians from across the sub-region, deliberated on the theme: ‘The challenges of the double burden of health in Africa.’ Sub-themes included: ‘The High Burden of Infectious Diseases; Non Communicable Diseases; Health Financing in Africa; Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases.’
Participants were drawn from 15 West African countries (ECOWAS) and among several papers presented was an address by the WACP President, Dr. Ifeoma Egbuonu.
The WACP, established in 1976, is an association of medical specialists in the sub-region with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. The latest countries to be admitted into WACP are Mali, Guinea, Togo, Burkina Faso and Guinea Bissau. Cape Verde remains the only West African country yet to become a member.
Dr. Amegashie said the 41st Congress was the largest gathering of West African family physicians. “We intend to get all family doctors in their various specialties involved so that they can be empowered by the WACP,” he said.
Family doctors need to be monitored to provide the best quality services to patients, said Dr. Amegashie. “Our concern is to tackle disease surveillance because of the weakness that the Ebola epidemic exposed in our health sector,” he added.
Dr. Amegashie said he plans to expand the membership by inviting two family doctors each from all the member countries to ensure an inclusive administration to achieve the the objective for which the committee was set up. He said he will encourage the establishment of regional centers in each member country.
The congress in Dakar was attended by general practitioners, specialists and all sectors of the healthcare system. In addition to exchanging views on current medical issues, participants pledged to promote continuing medical education as the main tool of health integration in the West African sub-region.
AT/18/11/17
Monday November 20, 2017.
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