UEMO represented at the WMA Council meeting on 24th and 25th April in Belgrade

UEMO Vice President Branka Lazic from the Serbian Medical Chamber represented UEMO at the WMA Council meeting on 24th and 25th April in Belgrade. She actively participated in the Round Table Women in Medicine, which was inspired and organized by the current President of WMA Dr. Jacqueline W. Kitulu. Although women make up the majority of employees in the healthcare sector all around the world, they still face many prejudices and obstacles to achieving deserved positions. In most countries of Europe, the majority of medical students which entry and also graduate from medical faculties are female. The gender structure of employees in pre-clinical and clinical disciplines shows that men are significantly more often employed in clinical disciplines compared to pre-clinical disciplines. In clinical disciplines, 60% of the Heads of Departments for narrower scientific fields are men. When we consider General/family medicine, the percentage of female family doctors in most countries is between 60 -65%.

More women in leadership and mentoring positions can lead to the larger cultural shift that seems so necessary today. Achieving gender equity in medicine is not a “women’s issue” but a professional responsibility shared by everyone. Men hold a substantial proportion of senior, decision-making, and gatekeeping roles in many medical settings; therefore, male allyship can directly influence day-to-day culture, while male sponsorship can measurably change outcomes such as hiring, promotion, pay equity, speaking invitations, authorship, and access to leadership pathways.

Inequalities do not erase themselves. They disappear only when we decide to delete them.

WMA Council adopted several Resolutions:

1 – RESOLUTION ON CHILDHOOD VACCINATION SCHEDULES

This expresses WMA’s commitment to universal vaccination and its importance as a cornerstone of progress in a globalised world.

2- RESOLUTION ON ESCALATING GLOBAL ARMED CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE AND RESTORING PEACE

Defending life, protecting those who provide care, and promoting peace are ethical imperatives inherent to the medical profession.

3- REVISED STATEMENT ON MEDICAL CARE FOR MIGRANTS

The revised policy underscores the growing vulnerability faced by many migrants worldwide, including refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and displaced persons, whose access to healthcare is often undermined by legal, social, economic or political barriers.