Korean women doctors’ group to host MWIA’s Western Pacific meeting

The Korean Medical Women’s Association (KMWA) said it would hold the Western Pacific Regional Conference 2021 of the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) from Aug. 20-21.

The upcoming event will be an opportunity to promote the KMWA’s status and allow more women doctors to join the conference, KMWA said.

The KMWA held a press conference on Tuesday to explain the conference’s theme, direction, and preparations for major programs.

“Based on our experience of holding international events in 1989 and 2013, we have prepared a lot for this. But I feel sorry that the conference has to be held virtually because of Covid-19,” said Yoon Suk-wan, president of the KMWA.

Yoon Suk-wan (second from left), president of the Korean Medical Women’s Association (KMWA), and Baik Hyun-wook (left), chief organizer of the Western Pacific Regional Conference 2021 of the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA), hold a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday.

However, she also felt grateful for an opportunity to communicate with the MWIA members through an online meeting.

“We prepared abundant content and lowered the registration fee, so I ask for participation and interest from MWIA members.”

Themed on “the role of medical women in the future,” the academic event will consist of various programs for medical women such as women’s health and life and women’s future roles in the international community.

Also, the conference will provide a program examining each country’s situation and response to the Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of female doctors.

Programs on the first day will discuss the environment by life cycle and children's health issues, the health of women in childbearing age, the role of female doctors for a balanced and energetic life for them, quality of life/vitality, and health problems in old age and at the end of life.

On the second day, there will be a Video on Demand (VOD) session to learn the present and future of Covid-19 and the Western Pacific region’s response to Covid-19 and experiences.

Women doctors leading medical innovation will offer lectures.

The KMWA also prepared online-only content. The association planned online hospital tours where participants can see several hospital sites in one place and an online web exhibition showcasing members' artworks.

Medical school students, who find it difficult to attend an offline event, will take part in the online conference as a member, the KMWA said.

Baik Hyun-wook, the chairperson of the local organizing board of the conference, said the virtual meeting was in line with the irreversible trend of going online in the wake of Covid-19.

“Even if Covid-19 ends, this kind of method will stay. Preparing the virtual event, we learned the latest trend and grabbed an opportunity to adjust,” she said.

The conference will hear important voices of young women doctors. The KMWA has collected their experiences and thoughts during the Covid-19 pandemic and will present the results at the meeting.

“Questionnaires are not much different from those of the surveys conducted so far. However, as we targeted young female doctors, the results will be quite meaningful,” Yoon said. “We allowed them to express their opinions freely to the government or the medical community. We look forward to earning quality content such as expert-centered quarantine policies and publication of a Covid-19 white paper.”