New WMA President Calls for Global Physician Solidarity, Mentorship and Primary Healthcare Advocacy
Porto, Portugal, 10 October 2025
The newly inaugurated President of the World Medical Association (WMA), Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu, has called on physicians worldwide to unite around three central priorities: fostering inter-regional collaboration, strengthening mentorship, and championing global policy advocacy for primary healthcare.
Speaking at the WMA General Assembly in Porto, Portugal, Dr. Kitulu, a former President of the Kenya Medical Association, accepted the presidency with deep gratitude, dedicating the moment to physicians across every continent who devote their skill, intellect, and compassion to improving human health.
Dr. Kitulu underscored that the challenges confronting health systems today: pandemics, non-communicable diseases, climate change, and workforce migration, demand shared learning and unified advocacy.
Reflecting on her personal journey as one of few women in her medical class and later as the first female President of the Kenya Medical Association, Dr. Kitulu underlined the importance of mentorship in her career. She pledged to ensure structured mentorship for all young physicians, promote leadership and advocacy training, and encourage regional fellowships to foster innovation and mutual learning.
Dr. Kitulu also addressed broader global concerns, including attacks on healthcare in conflict zones, ethical leadership in the era of artificial intelligence, and the health impacts of climate change, calling on physicians to stand united in defense of medical neutrality and humanitarian values.
“As physicians, our highest calling is to the art of medicine and the healing of those in need. It transcends politics and the divisions that polarize societies worldwide,” she emphasized.
Closing her inaugural speech, Dr. Kitulu called on physicians worldwide to build stronger collaborations, mentor the next generation, and advocate for primary healthcare as the foundation of equitable systems.
“History will not judge us by the offices we held, but by the lives we touched and the systems we strengthened,” she concluded. “Together, let us ensure that the World Medical Association remains a beacon of ethics, solidarity, and advocacy, serving humanity with integrity and hope.”
In his farewell address, outgoing WMA President Dr. Ashok Philip reflected on a year marked by both external and internal challenges to the medical profession.
He called for renewed defense of professional autonomy as central to patient care. He cautioned that efforts to replace physicians with lesser-trained personnel threaten patient safety and long-term outcomes. On global conflicts, Dr. Philip reaffirmed WMA’s commitment to collegiality and evidence-based advocacy.
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