{"id":8955,"date":"2017-10-13T01:27:51","date_gmt":"2017-10-13T00:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech.pdf"},"modified":"2017-10-13T01:27:51","modified_gmt":"2017-10-13T00:27:51","slug":"dr-yokokuras-inaugural-speech-2","status":"inherit","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/actualites-et-presse\/speeches-talks-interviews\/dr-yokokuras-inaugural-speech-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Yokokura’s Inaugural Speech"},"author":17,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"acf":[],"description":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1
\nWMA General Assembly, Chicago, 2017
\nInauguration Speech
\nThe 68th
\nPresident of the World Medical Association
\nYoshitake Yokokura, M.D.
\nPresident, World Medical Association
\nPresident, Japan Medical Association
\nI would like to express my deepest respect to all our
\ndistinguished guests and participants at today\u2019s assembly, as
\nwell as my colleagues.
\nStanding here before an audience comprising individuals with
\nsuch great wisdom, experiences, and achievements to give
\nmy inauguration speech as President of the World Medical
\nAssociation, WMA, is both the grandest moment in my life
\nand the moment that I am most aware of the enormity of the
\nresponsibility this appointment brings.
\nI first of all vow to you all that I will do my utmost to fulfill
\nmy responsibilities in spite of any kind of difficulty in order
\nto ensure the healthy life of all the people and further
\ndevelopment of the WMA which supports it.
\nMission of the JMA
\nIn the Japan Medical Association, JMA, three presidents
\nincluding myself have been appointed to the position of
\nPresident of the WMA thus far.
\nAs an organization representing physicians in Japan, the JMA
\n2
\nnot only protects the health of the people of Japan but also
\nproposes recommendations to ensure that Japanese healthcare
\nis moving in the right direction, at times working in close
\ncollaboration with the government and ruling political party.
\nAmongst the WMA\u2019s National Medical Associations, NMAs,
\nI believe that there are only a few where physicians
\ncontribute to and are involved in formulating actual national
\nhealthcare policies as the JMA does.
\nI greatly appreciate the high evaluation in which the JMA is
\nheld by many NMAs of the WMA.
\nMy roots
\nI decided to stand as a candidate for President of the WMA at
\nits General Assembly in Taipei last year because of a
\nsomething which I strongly believe in.
\nThis is that \u201cI want to spread the concept of Japan\u2019s
\nhealthcare system and know-how\u2014which have raised the
\nhealthy life expectancy of Japanese people to amongst the
\nhighest in the world\u2014throughout the world.\u201d
\nToday I would like to speak about this belief.
\nThis belief partly originates from my own roots.
\nI was born and raised in Takata Village in Fukuoka
\n3
\nPrefecture.
\nAs there was no doctor in the village at that time, my father,
\nwho was a military physician, established a small clinic
\nthere.
\nWhen I close my eyes, I can see my parents as they were
\nthen.
\nMy father readily accepted any patient who needed treatment.
\nHe poured effort into educating people about infectious
\ndiseases, and was a physician who endeavored to be always
\naware of the health status of local residents.
\nMy mother was a person who would sell her own clothes,
\nkimonos in order to buy medicines for impoverished patients
\nwho could not pay their medical fees.
\nObserving my parents as I grew up, I learned the spirit of
\nhealthcare, \u201cTo make every effort without regard for myself
\nto help people before my eyes who are ill,\u201d through my daily
\nlife.
\nPhysician\u2019s mission is to \u201cexamine the patient\u201d.
\nThe mission entails accompanying patients on their journey
\n4
\nthrough life, from birth until death, working together with
\nthem to make their lives healthier.
\nWhen I remember my father\u2014who tended to be with local
\npeople in his work\u2014I feel anew that his actions and attitude
\nshould be the \u201cbasis of healthcare\u201d.
\nLooking to the current situation, the medical environment has
\nbeen changing by rapid progress and use of ICT, AI and so
\non.
\nNow is precisely the time when we must return to basis of
\nhealthcare when we each pledged to \u201cconsecrate my life to
\nthe service of humanity\u201d under the WMA Declaration of
\nGeneva.
\nPhysicians must apply these advanced technologies to daily
\nmedical practice as effective and safe tools.
\nThe world moves at different speeds, and we are now rushing
\ninto a period of tremendous change\u2014the aging society.
\nLeading the world, Japan is plunging into an explosively
\nultra-aging society with the postwar baby boomers reaching
\nthe age of 75 years in 2025.
\nAs society ages, issues within the healthcare field are
\nincreasing.
\nI therefore propose realizing a \u201csociety of healthy longevity\u201d
\n5
\nin which people are able to continue to participate actively in
\nlife even in old age.
\nThis is a major issue that each country should cope with in
\nthe future.
\nUniversal Health Coverage
\nIn the rise in Japanese people\u2019s healthy longevity to the
\nworld\u2019s top level, \u201cuniversal health coverage\u201d, \u201cUHC\u201d has
\nplayed an essential role.
\nWe are certain that \u201cUHC\u201d is also a key to creating models to
\nguide aging societies, unprecedented in the world, towards a
\n\u201csense of security\u201d.
\nJapan achieved a rapid growth in the postwar period.
\nThis growth was possible to achieve because of the \u201cUHC\u201d,
\nthe purpose of which was to enable people to \u201cwork with a
\nsense of security\u201d.
\nJapan\u2019s healthcare system founded on UHC has even received
\nhigh praise from the renowned medical journal The Lancet,
\nand has also been lauded by the World Bank as a \u201cglobal
\nmodel\u201d for UHC.
\nFurthermore, achievement of UHC was adopted by the United
\n6
\nNations on September 25, 2015, as one of the Sustainable
\nDevelopment Goals (SDGs).
\nThis move was based on Japan\u2019s performance record rooted
\nin our experience with UHC over more than 50 years, and
\nexpectations are held for Japan\u2019s leadership in this field.
\nBy continuing to globally disseminate this excellent
\nhealthcare system in the future, we will be contributing to the
\nrealization of happiness and prosperity for people throughout
\nthe world.
\nCountermeasures to Disasters and Pollution
\nPeople in Japan have a long history of doing battle with air
\npollution and natural disasters.
\nWith regard to air pollution and contamination during the
\nperiod of high growth, it was the task of physicians to
\ndiscover patients and identify causes of the disease.
\nAt the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, we
\nput together JMATs (JMA Teams), with approximately 10,000
\nparticipating medical professionals from throughout the
\ncountry entering the disaster zone in turns.
\nWe have been able to move forward by transforming the past
\n7
\nexperience in overcoming various disasters into a source of
\nstrength and wisdom.
\nThrough the WMA, I intend to make good use of these
\nexperiences.
\nInfectious Diseases
\nNext, I would like to talk about infectious diseases.
\nIn Japan\u2019s history, we have been able to reduce the number of
\ntuberculosis patients in our nation.
\nThus I am able to speak to countries troubled by a prevalence
\nof TB.
\nJapan is also promoting countermeasures to emerging
\ninfectious diseases.
\nIn November 2016, the 2nd WVA-WMA Global Conference
\non One Health was held in Fukuoka Prefecture.
\nBy pooling their wisdom under the principles of \u201cOne
\nHealth\u201d, physicians and veterinarians are now promoting
\nfurther countermeasures to infectious diseases.
\nJunior Doctors Network:
\n8
\n-Training junior doctors for the future-
\nThe times are changing by the minute.
\nIssues facing healthcare on a global scale are changing form
\none after the other, becoming increasingly complex.
\nIn order to tackle these issues seriously, training for junior
\ndoctors is absolutely essential.
\nPhysicians who make every effort, without regard for
\nthemselves, to help people before their eyes who are ill,
\nsurmounting national boundaries, religious and ethnic
\ndifferences, gender and language barriers.
\nPhysicians who are deeply involved in improving the lives of
\nthe people living in the community, despite being a specialist
\nin advanced medical care.
\nIt is my intention to pour my utmost energies into the training
\nof junior doctors in response to the demands of the times.
\nMission of the WMA
\nDue to the progression of globalization, healthcare-related
\nissues are also causing obstacles across national borders. As a
\nmeans of resolving these issues, the role of the WMA is
\ngrowing day-by-day.
\nThe World Medical Association must endeavor to overcome
\n9
\nthese difficulties to address wide-ranging issues in the
\nhealthcare field.
\nIn order to achieve this, I believe that it will become
\nincreasingly important for healthcare professionals around
\nthe world to maintain close cooperation through the World
\nMedical Association.
\nGoing forward, as President of the WMA I will intend to
\nlisten with even greater earnestness to all of your voices with
\nregard to the healthcare issues of any country and region and
\naccelerate WMA efforts to resolve these issues.
\nConclusion
\nLastly, I would like to talk about my vision of what
\nhealthcare should be.
\nThis was mentioned in a lecture by the late Japanese
\neconomist Hirofumi Uzawa when he was teaching at the
\nUniversity of Chicago\u2019s Department of Economics in the
\n1960s.
\nHe referred to social systems for enabling all people to lead
\nabundant lives and maintaining an attractive society as
\n\u201cSocial Common Capital\u201d.
\nHe positioned healthcare as one of these systems, alongside
\n10
\nthe natural environment, roads, water supply, electricity, and
\neducation.
\nProfessor Uzawa described the conditions as follows.
\n\u201cThe institutional, social, and financial conditions necessary
\nfor all people comprising the society to receive the very best
\nhealthcare that the society can provide at that
\ntime\u2014regardless of their age or gender, and regardless of
\ntheir economic or social circumstances\u2014must be in place.\u201d
\nFurthermore, once these conditions are in place, rules are
\nnecessary to ensure that they are maintained.
\nAlthough these rules may be harsh for use physicians, they
\nmay have even greater fulfillment and honor.
\nProfessor Uzawa continued as follows.
\n\u201cIn both education and healthcare, professional specialists
\ncarry out their professional duties in accordance with
\nprofessional standards and discipline, in the hope that all
\npeople in society will become happy and prosperous.\u201d
\nSurely this expresses the essence of healthcare; the ideal
\nform that healthcare should take.
\nI hope that the concept of healthcare will become \u201cSocial
\n11
\nCommon Capital for the entire world\u201d with everyone\u2019s
\nsupport.
\nI do also hope to lead the World Medical Association forward
\ninto the future.<\/p>\n"},"caption":{"rendered":"

1 WMA General Assembly, Chicago, 2017 Inauguration Speech The 68th President of the World Medical Association Yoshitake Yokokura, M.D. President, World Medical Association President, Japan Medical Association I would like to express my deepest respect to all our distinguished guests and participants at today\u2019s assembly, as well as my colleagues. Standing here before an audience […]<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"","media_type":"file","mime_type":"application\/pdf","media_details":{"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech-pdf-106x150.jpg","width":106,"height":150,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech-pdf-106x150.jpg"},"medium":{"file":"Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech-pdf-212x300.jpg","width":212,"height":300,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech-pdf-212x300.jpg"},"large":{"file":"Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech-pdf-724x1024.jpg","width":724,"height":1024,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech-pdf-724x1024.jpg"},"full":{"file":"Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech-pdf.jpg","width":1058,"height":1497,"mime_type":"application\/pdf","source_url":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech-pdf.jpg"}}},"post":13298,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Dr.-Yokokuras-Inaugural-Speech.pdf","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8955"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8955"}]}}