Dear Friends in PAG
Six months have elapsed since the successful European Congress in Vilnius and it is time I updated you on the progress being by your new Board who have just convened at the kind invitation of the Cypriot PAG Society to coincide with their PAG meeting in Limassol and ably hosted by Board Marios Liassides. This enabled networking to include contact with the WHO representative who was lobbied in respect of adolescent gynaecological health.
The most exciting news is that since the summer and as result of close cooperation and collaboration with the European Board of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG), EURAPAG has been offered a seat on the EBCOG Council and we shall be actively participating in Council business from January 2018. EURAPAG will not have voting rights as part of this new arrangement but our presence will allow our voice to be heard and hopefully extend our influence for the good of PAG. I know that the late Jan Horejsi would have been thrilled to hear this.
Other than for EBCOG Council EURAPAG has been represented in the Group developing the new European Curriculum in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and hard on the heels of inclusion of PAG in the European Standards document I can advise you that PAG also specifically features in the new curriculum.
At present our Association is registered in Prague which is appropriate given that Prague is said to be the birthplace of European PAG. There is currently no Board member from the Czech Republic but our Treasurer Zuzana Nižňanská from Slovakia is doing her best to ensure that legal registration is maintained and that our governance arrangements are in order. This is no easy task yet we have explored alternatives for Registration and found that these also have their drawbacks. With the present arrangement the Association does not pay any taxes on our income. Access to internet banking has been another challenge given that the Czech Republic is not in the Eurozone but I am assured that this is being addressed and this should make Zuzana’s task a lot easier once this has been established.
Several of you have been in touch to explain how PAG services in your countries are under increasing pressure given global demands on healthcare. References to the EBCOG Standards in Gynaecology (and PAG in particular) may help to influence Commissioners. I would also encourage National PAG Societies to establish your own standards document if you have none at present.
We continue to work closely with FIGIJ. I would like to draw your attention to the new FIGIJ resource compiling Guidelines from different countries which has been developed by Evelien Roos from the Netherlands. We are also seeking new partnerships for instance with the European Society for Contraception (ESC).
I am ensuring that the Board meets at regular intervals and will endeavour to feed back to you at appropriate intervals as and when this is news to share. In the meantime I refer you to our updated and sleek new website crated by Mika Horstmann and shall appreciate your feedback, input and participation on European PAG matters.
Finally as you President and on behalf of your Board may I wish you season’s greetings and a happy, successful and PAG-prominent 2018.
With my warmest wishes
Paul Wood
December 2017