SECRETARY GENERAL REPORT

Greetings from the APPA Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur.

I would like to congratulate Dr Naveen Thacker for working very hard to make this website a reality and also for revamping it to be as appealing as it is now. All of us have been busy with our own child advocacy work in our individual countries and some have been busy in the region as well. This augurs well for us as a region although there is still a lot to be done. Allow me to recapitulate some of the activities.

Post 15thAPCP

The 15th Asia Pacific Congress of Pediatrics (APCP), 53rd Annual Conference of Indian Academy of Pediatrics (PEDICON) & the 5th Asia Pacific Congress of Pediatric Nursing (APCPN) which was held in Hyderabad, India from January 21-24, 2016 was a success.

Congratulations to Dr. Naveen Thacker, Dr. N Ravi Kumar, The Indian Academy of Pediatrics and the APCP-PEDICON 2016Secretariat for their tireless efforts in organising the Congress, which was attended by around 250 foreign delegates from different APPA countries, nearly 8000 national delegates and about 750 national and international speakers.

APPA Secretariat is still waiting for the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) to send proceeds from the 15th APCP. The executive secretary has sent a few reminders on this. I would like to remind all member countries that the only financial sustenance for APPA comes from our congresses every three years.

16th APCP

The next Congress (16th APCP) will be held in Bali island, Indonesia in 2018. Congratulations to Dr. Aman Bakhti Pulungan who was elected as Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 16th APCP. He is alsoPresident-Elect of APPA.

We at APPA look forward to working with the Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) in making the 16th APCP a success.

Thank you Prof. Mohd Sham Kasim

Prof Mohd Sham Kasim has decided to end his term as the Secretary General of APPA. On behalf of APPA, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Mohd Sham Kasim for his excellent leadership during his tenure as Secretary General of APPA from March 2000–January 2016. You will be able to read about Prof Sham in the latest issue of our APPA Bulletin which will also be made available in our website. Prof. Mohd Sham is currently Honorary President of APPA, alongside the late Prof. Perla Santos Ocampo and Dr. Chok-wan Chan.

The post of Honorary President is an appointment by APPA to individuals who have contributed significantly to APPA and regional paediatrics and child health.

Two new APPA members

APPA is pleased to welcome the Korea Medical Association (KMA) @ North Korea and theMongolia Pediatric Society (MPS) as new APPA members. This decision was reached during the 37th& 38th Council Meeting of National Delegates of APPA, held in Hyderabad, India on January 21 & January 22, 2016 respectively.

APPA is now made up of 23 National Pediatric Societies in the Asia Pacific region. Let us all join hands and advocate for the children in our countries and the region.

ROTA white paper

It is also important for me to inform everyone that the ROTA (Rotavirus Organisation of Technical Allies) Council, has been working on a white paper as a resource for paediatricians, policy makers and advocates in their efforts to promote the use of the rotavirus vaccine.Please help us to distribute thisinformation to as many people as you can who can influence the use and introduction of the rotavirus vaccines in your country.

A link to the executive summary and full white paper can be found in:
http://rotacouncil.org/toolkit/white-paper-rotavirus-common-severe-devastating-preventable/.

MPA contributed RM 10,000 to APPA

APPA wouldlike to thank the Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) for contributing RM10,000 toAPPA in June this year, from the 37th MPA Congress (September 16-19, 2015) and APPA Vaccinology Update 2015 meetings’ profits.During the MPA Congress, APPA organised a small Asia Pacific Vaccinology Update focusing on Pneumonia and Diarrhoea, held at Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Although attended by a very small number of Asian paediatricians, the MPA felt that it should contribute financially to APPA. It is hoped that other member countries will follow suit.

The 37th APPA Business Meeting

August 18, 2016, Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC), Vancouver, Canada

I take this opportunity to congratulate the IPA and the Canadian Pediatric Society for a successful International Congress of Pediatrics. The APPA Business Meeting was held during the congress and minutes will be distributed to the office-bearers of national paediatric associations.

APPA and its affiliates have been relatively busy these past few years.

Bulletin & Journal:

The APPA Bulletin is published twice a year and it has just published its 68th Volume (January-June 2016 issue) which had been distributed to all APPA affiliates, International Pediatric Association (IPA), WHO & UNICEF. It is also uploaded into the APPA website. APPA invite articles and feedback from readers.

The Asian-Oceanian Journal of Pediatrics & Child Health (AOJPCH), which is also the official publication of APPA, was first published end of 2002 and to date, seven volumes had been published. It will now be in electronic form for convenience and to keep up with the times. Prof. Ashraf Sultan is Chief Editor of the on-line AOJPCH.

Looking forward

After taking office as APPA President, Dr Naveen Thacker has already initiated the revival of Technical Advisory Groups paralleling the IPA TAGs. Let’s all make the APPA TAGs active and support the activities initiated by Dr Thacker. Volunteers are needed for some of the TAGs and it is hoped that member countries will submit names of individuals who are interested to be a part of this initiative.

Thank you.

Dr. Zulkifli Ismail
Secretary General, APPA