Japan
A major conference on chiropractic education in Japan has been scheduled for Nov. 26-28, 2004. The meeting is being organized by the Japanese Chiropractic Education Conference (JCEC), a new group established in the past year representing all of Japan's larger chiropractic schools. It is co-sponsored by the official representative of the profession in Japan, the Japanese Association of Chiropractors (JAC); the WFC; the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC); and the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE).
The Kansai Chiropractic School near Okayama is partnering with Southern California University of Health Sciences and Murdoch University (Australia), and with former WFC President Dr. John Sweaney of Australia as educational consultant, to provide a conversion course for past graduates that will bring them to a university degree level. This degree will be granted by Murdoch University, Western Australia, which sponsors one of Australia's three chiropractic schools. Similarly, the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) and Cleveland Chiropractic College are working with partner institutions in Japan to provide conversion programs.
Japan's foremost chiropractic school, currently partway through the accreditation process with the Australasian Council of Chiropractic Education, is the RMIT University Japan Unit in Tokyo, sponsored and supported by the JAC.
Mexico September saw two milestones for the Facultad de la Quiropr‡ctica at the Universidad Estatal del Valle de Ecatepec (UEVE), near Mexico City: In its third year of operation, 65 students entered the first-year class, and Arturo Montiel Rojas, the constitutional governor of the state of Mexico, officially inaugurated the Faculty of Chiropractic and the university buildings in which it is housed.
Dr. Enrique Benet-Canut, Director of UEVE's chiropractic program, which comprises 5,900 hours spanning 12 trimesters, explains that the UEVE program was developed in partnership with Northwestern University of Health Sciences, and that students will graduate with the equivalent of a doctor of chiropractic degree in North America. However, the title of the qualification, as for law, medicine and other professions in Mexico, is Licenciatura.
Portugal Dr. Antonio Alves, president of the Associa‹o Portuguesa dos Quiropr‡cticos (APQ), reported recently that the Portuguese government has announced its intention to recognize and regulate the practice of several forms of complementary medicine, including chiropractic. This is particularly important for the public and the profession because an increasing number of unqualified individuals are claiming to offer chiropractic services in that country. The APQ represents the Portugal's 13 duly qualified doctors of chiropractic. At the request of the APQ, the WFC and the European Chiropractors' Union (ECU) have written letters of support to the Portuguese prime minister and minister of health. The government is appointing a technical commission to assist in the preparation of the legislation to investigate and advise.
Dr. Alves can be contacted at dr.alves@quiropratica.com.
Singapore Dr. Janet Ruth Sosna and her colleagues in the Chiropractic Association of Singapore, together with the WFC, are sponsoring a two-day technique workshop by Dr. Tom Bergmann in Singapore, June 11-12, 2004. The seminar is being held in conjunction with the WFC Council's annual meeting. Full details of the venue will soon be posted at the WFC Web site, together with a detailed description of the course content.
WHO Regional Meetings The World Health Organization (WHO) is divided into six regions: Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South East Asia and Western Pacific. Each of these regions holds its annual meeting in September. These meetings, well-attended by governments and health leaders, offer excellent networking opportunities. This year, the annual meeting of the Western Pacific Region (WPR) was held in Manila in the Philippines, Sept. 8-12. The WFC was represented by Dr. Jameson Uy of the Philippines, whose report includes the following:
- Those attending the meeting included the newly elected WHO Director General, Dr. Jong-wook Lee from South Korea; the WHO-WPR Regional Director, Dr. Shigeru Omi; and ministers of health and senior health officials from the Western Pacific Region's 37 countries, which include China, the Asian countries bounding on the Pacific Ocean, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific islands.
- There was discussion and acknowledgement of the WHO resolution earlier this year promoting what WHO terms traditional medicine - and which includes chiropractic - and asking national governments to recognize and form policies concerning traditional and complementary medicine. (For the full text of WHA resolution 56.31, visit http://policy.who.int/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll? advquery=wha56.31&infobase= wha&softpage=Doc_Frame_Pg4 2&x=30&y=15&zz=.)
- WPR officers included Dr. Ken Chen, formerly in charge of traditional medicine at the WPR office and now stationed in Fiji as the official WHO representative to the 14 South Pacific island nations in the WPR.
- Dr Jean-Paul Grangeon, medical inspector, New Caledonia (a French territory in the Pacific), confirmed that there are now five chiropractors with established, accepted practices on this island nation.
- The vice minister of health from China, Dr. Wang Longde, invited delegates to next year's WPR meeting, which will be held in Shanghai.
In most WHO regions, annual meetings are held in different cities and countries each year in September. In the Americas, the annual meeting is generally held at the offices of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, D.C. Individuals interested in representing the WFC at these meetings should contact the WFC secretariat. Funding restrictions mean that delegates must cover their own expenses.
Editor's note: Doctors of chiropractic practicing around the world are encouraged to submit news and articles on the status of the profession in their respective countries to Dynamic Chiropractic for possible publication. All information should be sent to editorial@mpamedia.com.
