While the past year has been quite
a challenge for many of us, the members of the world anesthesia community,
brought about by natural disasters, loss of lives, and unresolved armed
conflicts, there are also many personal joyful events we do celebrate and are
thankful for, like the birth of a new grandchild, the marriage of our kids, and
life as we renew our birthday celebrations.

Our Successes

For the WFSA, we are particularly proud of and joyful for our WFSA
President, Dr Angela Enright, who has been recognized as a member and officer
of the Order of Canada, and lately recognized with a professorial lecture named
after her by the Royal College of Anesthetists of Canada.  Indeed, she inspires us all, and
remains as our model for exemplary leadership.

We are also very proud of the other undertakings of various WFSA
committees, namely,

·     the WFSA
Global Oximetry Program and the Lifebox project

·     the Education
Committee for their very robust accomplishments

            across
all geographical regions

·     the Pediatric
Committee for the translation of the basic pediatric book

            authored
by its Chair, Dr Rebecca Jacob

·     Obstetrics
Committee for the worldwide distribution of its CME articles on CD-Rom

·     Working Party
on Professional Well-Being for being able to push for the publication of their
initial research work

The other source of pride is the
diligence of the WFSA Management Group, including Ms Ruth Hooper.  WFSA support is ever present in all the
Regional Congresses of every WFSA Regional Section.  WFSA have also 
made presence in other world and/or  regional specialty anesthesia meetings like the World SIVA,
AOSRA, ASEAN Congress and SAARC. 
In October, there shall also be a WFSA Panel during the ASA Annual
Meeting to project our global activities and hopefully to generate more
interests and stronger partnership with the American Society of
Anesthesiologists

Our Challenges

We are all deeply committed to our
responsibilities as Officers of this Federation.  We do realize that our Federation has been founded more than
50 years ago, and maybe, some of our challenges today is because we need to
revisit “whether WFSA is still relevant today”.

Hence, the members of the WFSA
Management Group (President, Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Treasurer, Chair of
ExCo) has decided to convene a two full day of strategic planning in Chicago,
prior to the ASA meeting.  The main
objective is to firm up the WFSA Vision and lay down our specific Mission
Statements even before we past the torch to the new set of leadership during
the 2012 WFSA elections. Hence, I appeal for your prayers that we be
enlightened in our decision-making, in our quest to make WFSA relevant to every
anesthesiologist around the world. 

I enjoin you to send us your
suggestions, comments and criticisms. All these are fertile materials for
brainstorming.  We shall then
cascade the proceedings from this retreat to all the Members of Executive
Committee, for further comments and deliberations, prior to the WFSA General
Assembly in Buenos Aires.

Time flies and we are just six
months away from WCA 2012 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  This is also another challenge. Nevertheless, let us attract
positive vibes, and enjoin our comrades to finalize plans for this “anesthesia
olympics”.  It is another big
opportunity to have a business and pleasure trip.

Thank you for your continuing
trust in us and support for WFSA. See you all soon.

Florian R Nuevo MD – Chair, Executive Committee