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Dear
Esteemed Colleagues:
Here
are the events which occurred during the 1st Quarter of this year (Jan -
Mar 2009).
1.
FOGSI Annual Scientific Meeting,
Jaipur, India 4-7 January 2009
Such a
gigantic meeting that you can't really attend to all the topics you may
have wished to listen to. But again, one can't help but feel the
vibrancy of this developing nation with all its aspirations for
greatness. This meeting also gave the AOFOG executives an opportunity to
meet with the SAFOG executives to discuss problems and possible
solutions in the South Asian countries. Of course, what honed my
interest were of a purely historical note on Jaipur "the Pink City" as I
imagined myself living during the time of the maharajas with all their
opulence and the vast masses of ordinary Indians doing their daily
labors.
2. PCOS Consensus
Conference,
Hong Kong, 17-19 January 2009
It was a
privilege to attend this high-powered AOFOG-supported activity,
spearheaded by Prof Rob Norman (Australia) and PC Ho (HKG), which
discussed a common disease from an Asian perspective. Several
outstanding reports from Vietnam (low-dose ovulation induction regimens)
and Sri Lanka (wide-ranging population demographics of the disease)
caught my attention. The consensus meeting upheld the Rotterdam criteria
but at the same time recognized the individual variations among the
Asian nations. Perhaps, it is about time that all member countries of
AOFOG should have their own demographic profile of this common disease.
It was of course nice to see Prof Chang, PC Ho and Yu-Shih Yang from the
Executive Board and Dr. Rohana Hathotuwa (REI Committee Chair) and Dr.
Jaideep Tank (REI Committee Member).
3.
AOFOG-sponsored CTG / EFM Seminar-Workshop,
Miyazaki, Japan , 9-10 February 2009
Fifteen delegates from 8 countries attended this meeting to discuss and
form a consensus on electronic fetal surveillance (terms and
definitions, interpretation and management) to guide individual
practitioners within the federation. The summary of the consensus was
presented to the President during the President's Night in Auckland
Congress. The consensus was then sent to all national societies for
their perusal and discussion.
4.
TAOG Annual Scientific Meeting,
Taichung, Taiwan 28 Feb - 2 March 2009
This
visit gave Prof Chang and I the opportunity to attend the ASM of the
Taiwan Society and take a look-see at the venues for the 2011 AOCOG.
Prof Chang and I thank the society for the honorary fellowships bestowed
on us. We were also treated to a most restful stay at the Lalu Resort,
ex-President Chiang Kai Shek's summer refuge.
5.
Indonesia MFM Society Ultrasound and Perinatology
Congress, Malang, East Java, Indonesia,
7-11 March 2009
Several AOFOG faculty members (Dr. Anandakumar, Dr. Torres, Dr. Teotico,
Dr. Draycott and I) served as resource speakers in this 5-day congress
hosted by the Indonesian MFM Society. It was well-attended and it gave
us the opportunity to see the national society and the MFM subspecialty
in action. I also saw the great wealth of talent in this vast country
which is moving forward as it gains more political and economic
strength.
6. 21st AOCOG
Pre-congress / PSRH meeting,
Auckland, New Zealand , 22-26 March 2009
Held at the Waipuna Hotel in
the outskirts of Auckland, this was my first exposure to the Pacific
islands group, a conglomeration of about 14 countries with Australia and
New Zealand as the big brothers. Aside from meeting the delegates from
the countries I knew (Papua New Guinea, Solomons, Samoa) and did not
know (Niue, Tuvalu), I came out of the conference with 2 distinct
emotions - happiness at the social interaction and easy-going nature of
the Pacific islanders and a bit of sadness at the medical and social
difficulties they were encountering, especially when they narrated their
MMR's and their specific problems. I know other AOFOG island countries
(Indonesia, Philippines) experience similar challenges in giving women
access to health matters.
7. 21st AOCOG, Sky
City, Auckland, New Zealand
26-30 March 2009
This
city of sails was a fitting site for the federation's bi-annual
congress. The opening Ceremonies was awesome in its portrayal of the
history of its settlers and Maori civilization. The Guest of Honor,
former NZ Premier Sir Paul Reeves, was quite impressive too with his
vision of life and his obvious love of his native language and culture.
There
was simply too much congress activities (lectures, meetings, social
events, etc.) that my wife and I could not do much tourism. Perhaps, the
next congress can be spread over 3 days and post-congress tours can
balance the act.
The
foregoing paragraphs detail the busy life of a secretary general. But I
feel I have to know the situation "on the ground" so we also try to
bring the executives to visit as many national societies, meet as many
members while meeting in a cordial ambience of academic and social
activities. Thank you for all the nations visited for your great
hospitality.
With best
regards,
Fraternally yours,
Prof
Walfrido W. Sumpaico, MD
Secretary General
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