Next week’s WONCA global conference in Sydney is an important event for GPs Worldwide to gather and share knowledge, particularly regarding primary care practices in different countries, and to address challenges in workforce and funding in healthcare systems.
Over 3000 delegates from around the World will gather at the 50th celebration of WONCA to reconnect and revive General Practice, sharing knowledge and learnings on access, equity, funding, and multidisciplinary care teams. This includes networking with Australian and overseas GPs and in particular learning about primary care practices in other countries.
The WONCA 2023 World Conference in Sydney is hosted by The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) . RACGP is the voice of general practitioners (GPs) across cities and throughout rural and remote Australia. For more than 60 years, the organisation has supported the backbone of Australia’s health system by setting the standards for education and practice and advocating for better health and wellbeing for all Australians.
Australian Health Journal met with Dr Nicole Higgins, President of RACGP in transit at Brisbane Airport recently and she spoke about the $6 Billion allocated in the Federal Budget in May as a significant achievement for General Practice investment. She also emphasised this announcement reinforced GPs should be at the centre of multidisciplinary care teams to ensure continuity of care and better health outcomes.
Dr Higgins also spoke about the new Commonwealth Government led Scope of Practice review being crucial for General Practice to address the challenges of workforce and funding in the primary healthcare system.
Dr Higgins describes WONCA as the FIFA World Cup of General Practice! And that Australian doctors are excited about the upcoming WONCA conference being held at the Sydney ICC between the 26th to 29th of October. The same conference will include GP23 as the RACGP yearly gathering of Australian GPs.
About WONCA
WONCA is an acronym comprising of the first five initials of the World Organisation of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians. WONCA’s short name is World Organisation of Family Doctors. It is a not-for-profit organisation with 132 member organisations in 110 countries and territories, with membership of around 500,000.
WONCA represents and advocates for its constituent members at an international level where it interacts with world bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO).
-
Reflecting on a pivotal year for pharmacy
Dr. Kate Wang, a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy at RMIT University and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of Western Australia, has over a decade of experience in both hospital and community pharmacy settings.
Dr Wang spoke to Australian Health Journal on some of the key topics in 2024 that have been pivotal as a pharmacist, academic and researcher for the pharmacy profession.
-
Trends report identifies prototyping targets for breakthroughs in digital and hybrid futures
Vishaal Kishore, a Professor of Innovation and Public Policy at RMIT in Melbourne, serves as the Executive Chair of the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab and RMIT’s Director of Impact. Led by the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab, the National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) Health Alliance combines the best minds, technologists, industry capabilities and academic resources to solve pressing industry and social challenges through technology-driven innovation. The NIIN aims to pool insights and expertise to address national health challenges, marking its first vertical focus on health.
-
Role of milk in cognitive function and quality of life in older adults
New research emphasises the role of cows’ milk, particularly A1 protein free milk, in enhancing cognitive function and quality of life for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A multi-centre, double-blinded, randomised controlled clinical study published in *The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging* evaluated 88 milk-tolerant Chinese adults aged 65-75 over three months. Participants consumed either ordinary skim milk or A1 protein free skim milk, leading to improvements in various cognitive assessments.
