WFSA Secretary Sends Seasons Greetings
December 2014
As usual, at the end of the year the WFSA Secretary sends a message to the National Societies and their affiliated members. And it's a good habit, simply because communication is the basis of progress and coexistence.
The WFSA is making major changes in its structure and functioning .You can check all this on the website: www.wfsahq.org and through the regular reports from our Chief Executive Officer (Mr. Julian Gore-Booth) and our new Administrative Officer (Miss. Nichola Page). Two months ago Richard Lynas joined us as Programmes Manager, to further develop this unique and global anesthetic tool: the WFSA.
These positions are the only ones paid within the WFSA. The rest of the activity depends on thousands of colleagues on a voluntary and honorary work to improve Anesthesia in the world.
I think we are facing a historic moment of Anesthesia and Surgery: it seems that for the first time in many years, the WHO defined the lack of Surgery and Anesthesiology as a world health problem .The WFSA has participated through its President , Dr. David Wilkinson, in WHO meetings at the highest level. Millions of people worldwide die or have a miserable quality of life due to surgical pathologies which, in moderately developed countries, are just routine procedures. For that reason is that several international organizations related to surgery have begun to actively work on this, and with which the WFSA has created strategic alliances for the benefit of our patients.
Lifebox, which was born among others, with the WFSA support, the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and the Global Alliance for Surgery, Obstetric, Trauma and Anaesthesia Care (G4A), are examples of some of the organizations with which we are working now.
It is important to understand that unlike surgical organizations, the WFSA is unique, because it includes more than 125 National Societies of Anesthesiologists in the five continents and has close ties with Anesthetic Subspecialty Societies.
Are we doing things right? Probably yes, but we are also convinced that we can do them better. For that, it's essential that we receive your ideas, comments, criticisms. That's why we ask members of National, Regional and Subspecialty Societies , and members of other organizations interested in the development of Anesthesiology to contact us. In the WFSA there is always place for those who believe as we do, that we have an ethical commitment to return the gift that life has given to us: to have our passion as our work, and thus make a difference for "those who are at the other side of the river " waiting for better conditions.
It is especially important that those colleagues who are in "the trenches", at the "front line", at the bedside, send us your suggestions and ideas. Life has taught me how brilliant these contributions can be.
Many of these "front line" colleagues are women who practice Anesthesiology. They are a gift for our specialty and are incredible human beings who add to their professional activity the fact of being mothers, girlfriends, wives, daughters, granddaughters, grandmothers and often, as with a multifactorial index, hold the combination of several of these roles!
The road for women in Anesthesiology has not been easy. They have won their places step by step and nobody gave them anything for free. Even in countries that are proud for defending women's rights, it has been difficult for them to reach positions of leadership.
So, dear colleagues I send to you all and particularly to our female colleagues, these fraternal greetings.
As always the WFSA is committed to improve as much as possible, your working conditions and your patients welfare.
A big hello and happy 2015!
Gonzalo Barreiro
Honorary Secretary (2012-2016)
