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News
IFSSH Newsletter
January 2009
The New Year brings contrasting circumstances to IFSSH Member Societies. In Australia, all are on holidays and the most pressing hand surgery concern is a metacarpal fracture to the hand of the South African captain during the third cricket test between Australia and South Africa. In the Middle East and in other regions of conflict, surgeons are dealing with horrific injuries. The disparate nature of the world is as real as ever.
Some reflect on the value of international bodies. It is reasonable to question their worth when the demands of personal commitments consume so much time. It is tempting to devote remaining available time and energy to those institutions, local and national, which seem more relevant to our own needs and comfort.
Our International Federation exists to enable societies and their members, from all countries, to meet at a triennial Congress and to exchange knowledge and friendship. The world is closer these days and there are many regional groups, such as the Scandinavian Society, FESSH, APFSSH, combined Societies of the Americas, and the like. The IFSSH attempts to maintain some coordination between Member Societies, provide support to those regions of the world which are less well off, and maintain a collegiality in the relatively small medical pond of hand surgery. Our most recent Member Society, Bangladesh, has indicated the honour their members feel in being included in the international family. Surely, some of these less than material concepts are worthwhile.
Of practical relevance, the IFSSH intends to become more involved in education projects, particularly supporting the establishment of hand surgery, where relevant, in underdeveloped countries. Hopefully, the IFSSH Scientific Committees will also achieve a more sophisticated level, advising on many issues – hand surgery terminology is an example of one such issue. A number of Scientific Committee reports have been published in our journals in recent years. These may be considered as a summary of current thought on any particular topic and an invitation for further investigation and debate.
We have a responsibility to make the effort to be part of an international group, which demonstrates that peoples of differing cultures, religions and opinions can integrate harmoniously.
The IFSSH Executive wishes all Societies and Members a happy and peaceful 2009. We look forward to seeing all Society Delegates at the next IFSSH Council Meeting in Poznan, Poland, June 3-6, 2009.
Regional and International Congresses:
XIVth International Congress of Federation of the European Societies for Surgery of the Hand (FESSH) – Poznan, Poland
3rd June – 6th June, 2009
http://www.fessh2009.pl
8th Congress of Asia Pacific Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand (APFSSH) - Kaoshiung, Taiwan
13th – 15th November, 2009
XIth IFSSH Congress - Seoul, Korea.
31st October - 4th November, 2010.
http://www.ifssh2010.com
XIIth IFSSH - IXth IFSHT Congress - New Delhi, India.
March, 2013
IFSSH Website:
The IFSSH website is continually updated and is the main means of communication between member societies. The Executive welcomes information from all member societies, including notice of national meetings and matters of interest, both current and historical, for distribution to our members.
The website address is www.ifssh.org.
Those societies wishing to place information on the website should forward that information to the Secretary-General.
IFSSH Delegates’ Council Meeting:
The next meeting will be conducted in conjunction with the FESSH Meeting in Poznan, Thursday 4th June at 12:30.
Michael Tonkin
Secretary-General, IFSSH
Email:
mailto:mtonkin@surgery.usyd.edu.au
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