Physicians urged to actively participate in health planning for professional autonomy

FERNEY VOLTAIRE, France - Oct. 19, 2024 - PRLog -- Incoming President of the World Medical Association, Dr Ashok Philip, call on physicians to continue contributing to health policy development and health systems change.

His inaugural address (https://www.wma.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Inaugural-speech-President-Ashok-Philip-2024-2025.pdf), delivered at the WMA General Assembly in Helsinki, focused on the necessity of the medical profession to stay actively engaged in the evolution of healthcare delivery and health systems, to ensure best outcomes for patients and to safeguard professional autonomy.

Dr Philip told physicians present in Helsinki that while policy and planning could be seen as be tedious work and "take us away from direct patient care, but in the long term it protects our patients, and that is what we have sworn to do."

Dr Ashok Philip (https://www.wma.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/134094.pdf) is a specialist in Internal Medicine, currently practising in the private sector in Malaysia. He is a Past President of the Malaysian Medical Association (https://mma.org.my/). Within WMA he has been a member of the workgroup on governance reform and the advocacy committee, which he chaired. Dr Philip is a representative of the Pacific region on the WMA Council.

"Professional autonomy means primarily the freedom to make clinical decisions about the care of individual patients. This is what most of us think of when we mention autonomy, and in my opinion is the aspect most under threat," said Dr Ashok Philip, President of the World Medical Association 2024-2025. "If we let this autonomy be taken away or diminished, our patients will suffer."

Dr Philip stated, "Issues of accessibility and rationing may arise, and again it is our responsibility to bring evidence to the table to help guide policymakers in making their decisions."

He stressed the importance of guidelines, independent of purely financial considerations, to decide how patients are treated, and said that these guidelines must be drawn up by physicians. "The natural leaders in healthcare should be those who can look at the whole picture, and that generally means doctors. It's not in the best interests of patients individually or systems as a whole that physicians be removed from their leadership roles."

In her Valedictory address (https://www.wma.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Valedictor...), outgoing WMA President Dr Lujain AlQodmani (https://www.wma.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Dr.-Lujain-Alqodmani-Bio.pdf), highlighted the immense challenges that physicians today face. "Conflicts rage, climate change, economic crises and violations of human rights continue," said Dr AlQodmani.

"This year, healthcare has faced immense dangers, with over 980 attacks reported by the WHO surveillance system in conflict areas. These are not isolated incidents; they are cries for systemic change, for respect."

Dr AlQodmani is currently Chief Action Officer at EAT (https://eatforum.org/). She has served as council member of World Medical Association, member of WMA governance workgroup. Previously Dr AlQodmani held the position of International Relations Director of Kuwait Medical Association (https://www.kma.org.kw/).