A large delegation of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) attended the 37^th annual meeting of the European Forum of Medical Associations (EFMA) in Warsaw, Poland. The meeting, which was hosted by the Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists on the 21^st -24^th of June 2023, was held in solidarity with Ukraine.  The Annual Forum was open to all European medical professional organizations working at national level.

Israeli Medical Association CEO, Leah Wapner, opened the meeting in her position as Secretary General of EFMA.

Also in attendance were Israeli Medical Association and WMA Past President, Prof Leonid Eidelman, Dr. Itzhak Siev-Ner, Past Chair of the IMA World Fellowship and Dr. Alex Levin, IMA Board Member. 

The main topics of the meeting focused on the theme of solidarity with Ukraine and included sessions on Medicine in Times of Conflict; Healthcare Workforce Migration; Healthcare for Refugees and Rehabilitation. In addition to the representatives from the National Medical Associations across the European Region, a large delegation of doctors from Ukraine were welcomed to the meeting. 

In the opening of the session, Leah noted that EFMA continues to work with the World Medical Association (WMA) and Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) in the project to support colleagues in Ukraine.  A taskforce was set up in March 2022 to coordinate their joint response to the war in Ukraine. Many medical associations stepped up, with offers for assistance both financially and logistically. The Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists agreed to be part of the taskforce and have been invaluable in assisting with the logistics of releasing shipments from customs in Poland and transferring them by truck to Ukraine. The fund has worked to collect donations used to purchase medical supplies in great need in Ukraine. The Israeli Medical Association took a lead in procuring medical supplies in Israel and shipping them to Ukraine via Poland.

Leah also presented the role of National Medical Associations (NMA) in times of conflict.  Leah updated the participants on the work of the taskforce.  In addition, she noted that NMA’s have a triple duty to:

• Care for population and health workforce
• Advocate neutrality of health workforce
• Advocate for Medical Aid

IMA’s Dr. Itzhak Siev-Ner and Prof Leonid Eidelman co-chaired the session on rehabilitation. Dr. Siev-Ner introduced the topic of rehabilitation and then presented on rehabilitation in times of disasters. 

Throughout the meeting, participants were also able to hear first-hand from the many experts who presented from Ukraine. 

The meeting was a great success, and participants were also able to enjoy some time in the beautiful and interesting city of Warsaw. On Thursday evening, participants were treated to a gala dinner in a traditional Polish restaurant, where they tasted delicious Polish cuisine. On Saturday there was a social tour which began with a walking tour of the Warsaw-Royal route walk and included both the Old and New Town. Following this, the participants enjoyed a Vistula River Sightseeing Cruise, where they were served a delicious lunch and relaxed cruising down the river.