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Our country will soon roll out the red carpet as the host of the 29th International Pediatric Association Congress, which will take place at Panama City’s Atlapa Convention Center March 17-21.
“The International Pediatrics Association is the governing body of all of the world’s associations related to this medical specialty; thence the event’s importance. Since its creation, the event has been held every three years, although starting with the Panama Congress it will take place every two years. We are extremely proud to have been chosen as its host country since 2013 in Melbourne, Australia, where we competed against Italy and Morocco. Our tourist attractions and the high-security levels our country offers were some of the plus points that resulted in our selection,” said Dr. Iván Wilson, the event’s scientific coordinator.
“Since the very moment our country was chosen to host the event” –he continued– “we have been working hard to offer a high-quality scientific program in tune with the standards of similar world-class congresses. Dr. Mariana López, a pediatrician of great trajectory in our country, is the event’s president.”
Between 2,000 and 3,000 people from around the world are expected to visit Panama to attend the congress, which will be preceded by a weekend of workshops on relevant topics (Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th). Said workshops will be targeted, not only at physicians but also to public health promoters. “One of our goals is to train these individuals to take the knowledge acquired in the event to their respective communities which, in many cases, are located in rural areas,” Dr. Wilson explained.
The congress includes 10 workshops on diverse topics. One of the most important of these is entitled, “Helping the Baby to Breathe,” which will focus on training child delivery healthcare providers on how to optimize the attention of infants at birth. Another workshop of interest will be devoted to non-transmissible chronic diseases, a problem that has been on the rise among children in the region and other developing areas in recent years, and which encompasses illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure, etc.
“The workshops will allow participants to learn more about the topics of their interest. They will be open to small groups of between 30 to 40 participants and will foster an interesting exchange of ideas prior to the plenary or keynote conferences,” stated Wilson.
The event’s formal opening, which will be attended by prominent members of the government and healthcare sectors, will feature Dr. Natalia Kanem (a Panamanian physician of great trajectory and who currently serves as the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund) as its keynote speaker.
Four plenary sessions will be included in the Congress itself, which will discuss public-health topics such as neonatology, infectious disease, non-transmissible chronic diseases, violence & adolescence; the provision of healthcare services to minors in the midst of armed conflicts, and today’s migration crises, among others.
Included in the Congress are two topic-discussion formats of interest for the scientific community: “Concurrence” (common ground), in which a particular topic is addressed by three experts and a discussion panel), and “Debate”, in which 3 selected themes will be addressed and discussed from opposite points of view.
Likewise, as typically takes place at most medical congresses, there will be a presentation of research studies by participating scientists, the best rated of which will be verbally exposed within the scientific program and as E-posters.
Another highlight of the event will be the simultaneous symposiums carried out by various pharmaceutical firms each day at around midday, in addition to commercial exhibits by the means of stands and booths at Atlapa Convention Center.
The hosting of the Congress in Panama is, according to Dr. Wilson, an achievement of great satisfaction. “The event places our country on the world’s spotlight, as it allows the international scientific community to know what a small country of 4 million people is capable of, not only with regards to organizing a congress of such magnitude but also with regards to the meeting of first-class medical experts.”
The 29th International Pediatric Association Congress will be the first in Central America and the fifth in Latin America after being hosted by Mexico (1968), Argentina (1974), Brazil (1992), and Mexico once again in 2004. The event will also attract the editors of some of the world’s most important medical publications.
“The Congress will offer more than 2,000 people the opportunity to enjoy the attractions of our city, which celebrates its 500th anniversary this year, in addition to the chance of visiting locations of great interest, such as Guna Yala and Bocas del Toro. They will be able to have breakfast on the Pacific and lunch on the Caribbean, a feature they will not be able to find anywhere else on the planet,” Wilson concluded.
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