BI-ANNUAL CONGRESS APRIL 2012 EDINBURGH
The IPCRG held an extraordinarily successful bi-annual congress in Edinburgh from 25–29 April 2012. This was a truly international meeting with representation by 1000 delegates from over 40 countries. The congress was really primary care oriented dealing with not only breaking science, but also with the here and now of respiratory medicine at all levels of country development. The delegates encompassed all those engaged in researching or delivery of health care—nurses, medical practitioners, technicians, and public health officials—as well as some lay representatives. Many plenary sessions were webcast live. It was a truly stimulating few days. The next Congress is to be held in Athens in 2014.
WONCA EUROPE CONGRESS JULY 2012 VIENNA
The IPCRG has been running four workshops as a Wonca Europe Special Interest Group at Wonca Europe Vienna in July: (1) Investigation and treatment of common allergic respiratory conditions that should be managed in general practice; (2) Early detection and management of stable disease and exacerbations; (3) Strategies towards smoking cessation. How to maximise the opportunities for smoking cessation in primary care; and (4) Asthma control and severity. What should the doctor do to support patients with uncontrolled and severe asthma in day to day practice?
FIVE-STAR DOCTOR AWARD
Wonca Europe announced the winner of the Wonca Europe Award of Excellence in Health Care: the Five-Star Doctor 2012 was Dr Miguel Roman of Baleares, Spain. He is the outgoing Chair of the IPCRG, and was nominated by the organisation. The Award has been presented at the Wonca Europe Conference in Vienna. Dr Roman will be the European candidate for the Wonca World Award of 2013 in Prague.
SCIENTIFIC MEETING MAY 2013 UPPSALA
The third IPCRG Scientific Meeting is to be held in Uppsala 23 and 24 May 2013. Details at the new IPCRG web environment—http://www.ipcrg.org. Abstract submission: to be opened 1 Dec 2012; abstract deadline: 10 March 2013.
BETTER BREATHING BANGLADESH BOOSTS RESPIRATORY HEALTH
The IPCRG and its Bangladesh group have teamed up with the UK's Education for Health and others to implement this WHO-GARD approved respiratory health programme. Training on the treatment of asthma and the use of inhalers has already benefited 100 primary care doctors, 200 nurses and 25 pharmacists.
FRESH AIR UGANDA
The FRESH AIR Uganda project is running on schedule. So far 200 participants have been recruited and the research assistants (RAs) are working with a lot of enthusiasm. This is a project, which has been and is being developed under the auspices of the IPCRG, supported by a grant from Mundipharma International Ltd and is being led by Dr Frederick van Gemert of the Netherlands.
He writes—‘During my 2-week visit to Uganda in February, we gave a 1-day education programme twice for 50 different healthcare workers about chronic respiratory diseases, particularly asthma and COPD. During the second week, we gave 25 RAs intensive 3–day training about spirometry and the protocol of the survey. At the end, Mr Wilson Isingoma Muginba, the Chairman of the district, gave a certificate to all the RAs. He was very impressed with what the RAs had learnt and promised he would tell everybody about the burden of COPD and the risk factors, particularly tobacco smoke and biomass fuel use, and the impact it has on the community. A ‘Manual of Operations’ has been published and handed over to all the RAs.’
Watch this space for the development of similar programmes in other developing countries.