The Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) held its General Assembly in Dubrovnik, Croatia at the end of March 2023. The meeting, hosted by the Croatian Medical Chamber, was attended by medical associations from across Europe. The Israeli Medical Association (IMA) is an associate member and was represented at the meeting by Leah Wapner, Secretary General and Michelle Glekin, International Relations Officer of the IMA.
The meeting began with a presentation by Prof. Dragan Primorac a Croatian paediatrician, forensic expert and geneticist. Prof. Primorac is co-founder and the President of the International Society of Applied Biological Sciences. He also co-founded the Department of Forensic Sciences at the University of Split, Croatia. Upon a recent visit to Israel, he signed an agreement on strategic cooperation and partnership after completing a pre-clinical study on animals between Croatia’s St Catherine Specialty Hospital and Haifa’s Bonus BioGroup Ltd.
Prof. Primorac presented his pioneering work in medical genetics and his work in the application of the personalized medicine paradigm in clinical practice.
During the national reports session, IMA’s Leah Wapner reported on the current unrest in Israel due to the government's proposed judicial reforms.She explained about the potential implications for the Israeli health system as a result of the proposed reforms.
Leah noted that: “the expropriation of the supervision and regulation of medical training and specialization from the hands of the professionals, with no judicial and professional review, will harm the quality of medical care.”
She also highlighted the fear of discriminatory legislation against vulnerable populations, especially women, and the proposed change and damage to labour relations by limiting the right to strike.
The meeting participants were deeply concerned to hear about the proposed reforms and offered their support to the Israeli Medical Association in standing against them.
The meeting continued with a conference on the European Health Data Space and how it will work in practice. The General Assembly also adopted policies on Climate Change and Health and Antimicrobial Resistance.