This year's WMA GA will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia and last four days, from 23 to 26 October 2019 at the Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace.
Representatives of the medical community from all around the world will discuss the sharpest medical issues related to the doctors' and patients' rights protection, medical education, training of senior medical professionals, health protection and safety of medical care. The international participants composition of the event requires the host party to provide simultaneous translation into English, French, Spanish and Japanese.
Stepan Firstov is a permanent delegate of the General Assemblies of the World Medical Association. Since 2014 he regularly has been participating in the meetings of the Board of the International Medical Parliament (as this organization is sometimes called), and since 2017 he has been actively working as an associate member of the WMA. In the background of the Russian doctor there are activities at the WMA General Assemblies in Durban, Moscow, Taipei, Chicago and Reykjavik. Stepan Firstov has repeatedly participated in conferences and meetings of the WMA Council, which takes place in different parts of the world. Particularly, Stepan Firstov always is the only representative from the medical community of Russia at the events of the World Medical Association.
The program of the 70th General Assembly of the World Medical Association in Tbilisi will be very full of events. The agenda includes both plenary and sectional sessions. The first two days there will be meetings of the Junior Doctor and Finance and Planning. The third day participants will attend a preliminary meeting of the 213rd Session of the WMA Council, Finance and Planning Committee, Socio-Medical Affairs Committee and Medical Ethics Committee. In the evening delegates meet at a welcome reception.
The next day will begin and end with the WMA Associate Members meeting, as well as delegates will take part in the scientific session «Palliative care». Communication will continue during the excursion tour. 25 October the main meeting of the 213rd the WMA Council Session and the Ceremonial Session of the Assembly will be held. In addition, the program will be complemented by a tour and an informal dinner in Mtskheta, an ancient city located 20 km from Tbilisi. The organizers try to make the final day of the General Assembly the most memorable. Delegates will be able to attend several Plenary Sessions of the Assembly and the WMA Council Session. The stay in Georgia will end with a Gala dinner.
Traditionally, the outcome of each of the General Assemblies is the adoption of several statements and other documents regulating policy of the world medical community. The 70th General Assembly of the World Medical Association in Tbilisi is not an exception. Participants will have to adopt such important documents as: Revision of the international code of medical ethics, Statement on euthanasia; Statement on solitary confinement and stem cells research. Agreements in the field of health and social relations address issues as: physician-commercial enterprises relationships changes in Declaration of Ottawa on the development of health care for children; telemedicine; medical responsibility. Delegates will discuss and make decisions on issues related to improving the quality of health services; healthy environment. Doctors will pay special attention to the topic of hypertension.
The list of documents required for consideration at the General Assembly in Tbilisi will include resolutions on the issues of artificial abortion, access to health care, antimicrobial resistance, and the rights of minor asylum seekers. The focus of attention will be caught to topics related to reducing sodium and sugar intake.
Participants of the WMA General Assembly will not be able to ignore such acute ethical issues as use of genetic material, doctor-patient relationship, treatment of relatives and friends, place of pseudoscience and pseudo-practice in medicine, violence in the Health care system.
The main organizer and host of the 70th WMA General Assembly is the Georgian Medical Association. This is an independent professional association of doctors, which demonstrates interests in shaping health policy and strategic development of the country. GMA brings together representatives of all medical specialties in Georgia, represents professional interests of doctors to the official agencies and the government, improves quality of care and health system in Georgia, supports the professional and personal needs of doctors. The main activity of the GMA is aimed to: promotion of decentralization of the health care system; protection of the rights of doctors; finding solutions of environmental and demographic problems; modernization of continuing medical education; lobbying of the interests of doctors; support of professional and scientific achievements of doctors; communication with the legislature; assistance in obtaining licenses and accreditation.