Statement of Asia Pacific Region of the World Organization
of Family Doctors (WONCA APR) on COVID-19 Pandemic
-Forging Formal Public-Private Primary Care Partnerships
and Enhancing Application of Digital Technology
 
Mohammad Husni Jamal¹, Brian Chang², Shanzhu Zhu³, Aileen Espina³, Tessu Kusaba³,
Erfen Gustiawan Suwangto⁴ and Meng-Chih Lee⁵

 
The sudden emergence and the ferocity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus caught many member countries in the WONCA Asia Pacific Region by surprise. One of the most evident outcomes was the breakdown of the primary health care (PHC) systems with some almost to the brink of collapse. In many cases, even countries with strong PHC infrastructures became casualties and what more in those with weaker systems.
 
(Taiwan J Fam Med 2021; 31: 1-4) DOI: 10.3966/168232812021033101001
 
Key words:WONCA APR, COVID-19
 

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¹President-Elect, WONCA APR and Senior Lecturer, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia; ²Honorary Secretary, ³Member-at-Large, ⁴Chair of The Rajakumar Movement, WONCA APR; ⁵2016-2021 President for WONCA APR and Senior Consultant Physician, Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan. Correspondence to: Professor Meng-Chih Lee, MD, PhD, MPH, Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan.
mcl@csmu.edu.tw and husni@cyberjaya.edu.my
Received: January 4, 2021; Revised: January 7, 2021; Accepted: January 20, 2021.