GENEVA, Switzerland, June 7, 2004: A poll of the global representatives of nursing, medicine, and pharmacy has revealed that heart disease, obesity, and cancer are expected to be the top health problems in both developing and developed countries over the next 5 to 10 years. The informal poll was taken at the historic first conference of the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) in Geneva prior to the WHO's World Health Assembly.
The gathering of nurses, pharmacists, and physicians from more than 60 countries identified dietary change, unequal access to information, and trade policies as the top trends affecting these health challenges, while rating terrorism very low as a trend affecting health.
While HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis were also on the priority list of developing countries, the fact that overall these big killers were rated low as health challenges (10 and 11 of a list of 16) indicates that concern about the urgency of fighting the pandemic has still not been fully integrated by all health professionals. A heavy workload, stressful work environment, and insufficient staff topped the list of trends and concerns for health professionals themselves. Full results of the poll can be accessed at http://www-whpa.org.
"In pointing to heart disease, obesity and cancer as the top health challenges today and in the near future, health professionals are underlining the importance of the lifestyle changes that the world is witnessing: an increasingly sedentary life and unhealthy eating," said Delon Human, general secretary of the World Medical Association (WMA), a founding partner of the WHPA along with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
"Though HIV/AIDS registered low on the poll, we were very pleased that a resolution issued by delegates called on all physicians, nurses and pharmacists to act as strong advocates and social leaders in the war against HIV/AIDS," stated Ton Hoek, general secretary of the FIP.
"Concerns about stress, workload and retention of staff also revealed through the poll, speak to issues of migration and the need for countries to find ways to retain and further train existing staff as well as reactivate staff that have left the health system," clarified Judith Oulton, chief executive officer of the ICN.
The conference brought together for the first time members from the ICN, the FIP, and the WMA, providing an innovative platform for interprofessional, international collaboration on health issues.
Editor's Note
The WHPA brings together medicine, nursing, and pharmacy through their representative international organisations, ICN, FIP, and WMA, and represents more than 20 million health professionals worldwide.
* The ICN is a federation of more than 120 national nurses' associations representing the millions of nurses worldwide. Operated by nurses for nurses since 1899, ICN is the international voice of nursing and works to ensure quality care for all and sound health policies globally.
* The FIP is the worldwide federation of national associations of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. Pharmacists are healthcare professionals dedicated to improving access to and value of appropriate medicine use worldwide.
* The WMA is a global federation of national medical associations, representing the millions of physicians worldwide. Acting on behalf of physicians and patients, the WMA endeavours to achieve the highest possible standards of medical science, education, ethics, and healthcare for all people.
For further information contact Linda Carrier-Walker
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