Engagement Counts
As in most democratic processes, two factors count: voting and engagement. For the World Medical Association (WMA), the latter is of utmost importance. In seeking solutions for better health and improvements in health care, it is ideas that determine the momentum. For a long time, there was a perception that the WMA was an organization of rich countries. A ridged dues structure did not allow even large medical associations to gain a substantial number of votes because they could not financially afford them. This was changed some years ago, and today a tiered dues structure based on the World Bank classification of a member country’s per capita income allows medical associations from resource poor countries to enjoy real representation in the WMA.
