WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC BUREAU REGIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL
REGIONAL COMMITTEE Fifty-first session Manila 18-22 September 2000
WPRlRC51tNOOn 21 September 2000
ORIGINAL: ENGUSH
Provisional agenda item 14
STATEMENT BY DR AMADO SAN LUIS, REPRESENTATIVE, WORLD FEDERATION OF NEUROLOGY Good morning!! I am Dr. Amado San Luis, from the Philippine Neurological Association and the Asia and Oceania Association of Neurology, speaking on behalf of the World Federation of Neurology under the leadership of President James F. Toole. I wish to thank Regional Director Omi, for inviting the WFN to observe the proceedings of
this prestigious meeting and to express my gratitude to the Chairman for giving me the opportunity to talk on behalf of the WFN.
Mr. Chairman, Regional Director Omi, Madame Director General Brundtland, Distinguished Ministers and Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen, The World Federation of Neurology is comprised of 84 nations and 22 000 members, has as its mission: To improve human health worldwide by promoting prevention and the care of persons with disorders of the entire nervous system by: 1. 2. Fostering the best standards of neurological education and patient care; Educating, in collaboration with national and international public and private Organizations; and 3. Facilitating research through its Research Groups and other means.
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These aims are pursued by: a. publishing a website and World Neurology, a quarterly newsletter, distributed direct to more than 20 000 neurologists worldwide; b. sponsoring research groups and international symposia in clinical neurology and the neurosciences; c. assisting the local organizers in the promotion, planning and execution of a quadrennial World Congress of Neurology; d. collaborating with WHO, regional and national neurological societies to advise on educational programmes and to raise standards and increase uniform standards in clinical neurology throughout the world; e. promoting international collaborative research and public health planning through the World Health Organization and other regional or national bodies;
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providing travel grants for clinical neurologists or neuroscientists to attend international meetings;
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supporting international exchange arrangements for junior staff; establishing registers of neurologists and repositories of research and teaching materials in the neurosciences;
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encouraging collaboration with international commercial organizations to the benefit of patients with neurological diseases and promoting the highest standards in clinical practice;
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encouraging collaboration with patient groups and charities; publishing the Journal o/the Neurological Sciences; taking a lead in organizing conferences worldwide; developing ethical guidelines; supporting the development of regional organizations; defming optimal standards of care.
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In order to implement these, the WFN and its membership desire that knowledge of the nervous system be increased through education and the allocation of manpower to the field of neurology. This is particularly important because the aging population of the world is now suffering with diseases of the nervous system as never before. These include stroke, epilepsy, dementia, and mental illness, which is an expression of disease of the brain. Only by recognizing the nervous system as an important problem for health care, and by adding the word "neurology" to the bureaus within the WHO, can effective measures of an international and global nature be undertaken. Dr. John Orley, appropriately expressed this concern and emphasized this point in his talk regarding the Burden of Neurological Illness on Caregivers in the Congress on Neurology and Public Health in Japan, Tokyo, Japan on September 1995 when he said, "The human brain and the human mind, of which the brain is the organ, is after all what sets man apart from all other creatures. Any World Organization devoted to human health, must place some of its efforts in support of the human brain, and not just hope for the best that a healthy brain can be maintained by keeping the rest of the body healthy." The WFN strongly supports this view and I am sure this distinguished body supports this too. , On a personal note, I wish to congratulate and salute this noble body for leading a successful collaborative fight in the eradication of polio, which is of WFN concern. The future projects particularly on malaria and tuberculosis, diseases that devastate the central nervous system and magnify the socioeconomic impact of the disease, are like wise of interest to the WFN. I learned so much from this meeting and would happily convey to the membership through our newsletter the great effort that the WHO has done in this region. This meeting has made me appreciate more clearly how great each little contribution that we in the Philippine Neurology are able to give for a wider interest. I, wish to assure our Philippine Health Ministers continuous support from our organization. Thank you.