Executive Paper LIS/A9
Membership Issues
WONCA Executive paper for discussion
WONCA Executive Meeting, July 2014
Current situation
The WONCA Bylaws state (Article 5; Para 1.1.1) that membership is open to:
National organizations or a group of national organizations which are
representative of general practitioners/family physicians of that country or those
countries and a majority of whose constituent voting membership consists of
general practitioners/family physicians who are legally registered to practice
within that country or those countries.
Associate Membership is described (Article 5; Para 1.1.2) as:
National Organizations or a group of national organizations whose missions and
objectives are consistent with those of Wonca and not eligible or do not seek Full
Membership and of which the majority of the constituent voting membership are
members of the recognized health professions as defined in these Bylaws.
However there are a number of countries – among them Brunei, Oman, Kuwait and
others in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and elsewhere – where it is not possible to
form a recognised College, Society, Association or Organization of Family Medicine. The
Governments of these countries do not allow independent professional bodies and thus
these countries are currently unable to apply for WONCA membership, as they do not
meet the way our current membership criteria are interpreted. And yet in a number of
these countries family doctors do belong to a recognizable group or alliance of family
medicine doctors, most often either as direct employees of the Ministry of Health or
through employment by a major corporation.
Challenges
Our bylaws were not written to exclude family doctors and family medicine
organizations from membership. Where our bylaws are clear is in our mission: to
improve the quality of life of the peoples of the world through defining and promoting
its values, including respect for universal human rights and including gender equity, and
by fostering high standards of care in general practice/family medicine. In the spirit of
our global organization we need to encompass and embrace these sorts of organizations
and the family doctors they represent.
The current bylaws also refer to “constituent voting membership”. Constitutional
lawyers could spend a lot of time – and WONCA’s income – debating this point, but
ultimately the answer is not clear, but there is no explicit statement to say that
organizations must have a voting membership; only that the organizations must be
national, must be representative and must consist of general practitioners/family
physicians.
WONCA wants to encourage membership of as many family doctors as possible, and yet
the current interpretation of our bylaws currently prevent several groups or
associations from applying. One of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) agreed by the
current WONCA Executive was to encourage membership among those countries which
are not yet members, and each Regional President is committed to adding one new
Executive Paper LIS/A9
member organization during this triennium. Thus Executive must consider ways to
allow these groups or alliances to apply to become a Member Organization or an
Associate MO, of WONCA.
Potential solution
A proposed solution is to develop a bylaw amendment for presentation to World Council
in 2016, to make it clear that these groups or alliances are eligible at least for Associate
Membership. Membership would be pro tem, pending formal endorsement by Council.
The concept of a pro tem status has a precedent in WONCA. Some years back, the
Eastern Mediterranean Region was formed as a pro tem region, pending its formal
adoption by the subsequent World Council.
Suggested wording is:
“Where formation of a College, Society, Association or Organization of Family
Medicine is not possible, for whatever reason, then family doctors working in a
recognised group or alliance may apply for Associate Membership of WONCA. Due
consideration to individual circumstances is to be given by the Membership
Committee.
Confirmation that any such group or alliance is the main representative body for family
doctors in the country should be sought from the Regional President, with further
advice obtained from local experts, if indicated. Membership Committee would consider
all evidence, before making their recommendations to Executive.
Recommendation: to allow applications for Associate Membership pro tem from
recognised groups or alliances of family doctors, pending a change to the bylaws being
considered by the 2016 World Council for ratification.