On the 13th April 2006, with over 1,000 doctors, dentists, medical students and dental students from over 60 countries attending Sydney, the XIII World Congress of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association entitled ‘Health & Hope’ would address global health issues and it would challenge the participant Christian commitment.
The theme ‘Health and Hope’ had been chosen because health demonstrates the congress professional commitment while hope illustrates their hope in Christ.
Professor Kim Oates, Chairman of the National Organizing committee, said the Congress ‘aims to promote unity in the gospel, solidarity in faith, radical obedience and respect for the diverse ways in, which we expressed our discipleship. Some outstanding guest speakers would help the congress in this.’
The keynote speaker would be Dr E Anthony Allen MB, MS, DM Psych, DPM, MRC Psych, M Div, a Jamaican psychiatrist, with theological and pastoral training. As a Whole Person Health Consultant, he worked to promote congregation-based whole person health ministries in Jamaica and internationally. He was particularly involved with integrating spirituality and health care in both medical and theological education. He had written numbers of books and articles and been in demand to speak at numerous conferences on these subjects.
The other speakers include:
-Bishop Muhima from East Africa who had worked with the HIV issue for many years
-Gideon Byamugisha, the first African priest to declare himself HIV positive who was now a world spokesperson on living with AIDS
-Professor John Wyatt, professor of neonatology from London
-CB Samuel from India, until recently the General Director of the Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR)
The World Students and Junior Graduates’ Conference entitled ‘Health and Hope - Impacting our World for Christ’ would also occured on the 7th to the 11th July 2006. Christian students from Australian medical schools had raised funds to enable students from other nations to attend the conference.
Dr Maleika Selwyn, the Chairperson for the Students Conference said: “It was exciting to see that God was raising up a young generation who were solid in faith and radical in obedience to Him… The gospel was having an incredible IMPACT for Christ. There was an excitement about our potential to serve Christ wisely, humbly and effectively. We were committed to practising with love, integrity, compassion, mercy and justice, integrating faith with day to day practice.”
Dr. Selwyn continued saying this gathering of students and new graduates would be significant and it ‘gave them and us hope for the future of health care.’