THE HIGHLANDS PHYSICIANS FORUM - REDISCOVERING THE REGIONAL MEDICAL MEETING IN PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA

Physicians meeting together to discuss matters of professional interes t has been the basis of many developments in the advancement and commu nication of medical knowledge. These meetings neither have to be large nor nationally based to provide a useful exchange of meaningful ideas . With this in mind, a group of physicians working in the highlands of Papua New Guinea decided to hold their own professional meeting which would focus on issues of relevance to the practice of medicine in the highlands. Other physicians were not excluded and several from Port M oresby joined the group. The program was similar to that found to be s o successful over the years at the annual medical symposia of the Medi cal Society of Papua New Guinea. All participants contributed papers t o the meeting. The collegial atmosphere created by the small number of individuals fostered stimulating discussions and a greater depth of i nterchange than might have been the case with a larger number of parti cipants. A range of topics was covered but the emphasis was on practic al approaches to health problems. The meeting concluded with a worksho p session discussing problems in rural health services, the utility of rural laboratories and a medical audit in the highlands. The Highland s Physicians Forum has now met for two consecutive years and has been the source of positive comments from all participants. We urge physici ans all over Papua New Guinea to develop regional meetings. This shoul d not be viewed as being in competition with the annual symposium but as a preparation for it.