The 24th World Association for Medical Law (WAML) Congress was held in Tel Aviv, Israel on 2-6 September 2018. Leading international experts discussed topics related to Global Health, Medical Law and Bioethics, with a focus on Public Health, Humanitarian Medicine and the Right to Health. Other themes included liability, risk management and patient safety.
The purpose of the WAML is to encourage the study and discussion of health law, legal medicine and medical ethics, for the benefit of society and the advancement of human rights. The aim of the WAML is to promote the study of the consequences in jurisprudence, legislation and ethics of developments in medicine, health care and related sciences.
There were abstract and poster presentations from over 40 countries. Neurologist and Attorney James C. Johnston, MD, JD presented two separate topics in the Global Health and Public Health sections.
Dr. James C. Johnston and Prof. Dr. Mehila Zebenigus from Ethiopia discussed means of improving healthcare access in sub-Saharan Africa with a particular emphasis on curtailing the global health programs that focus on self-serving short term medical missions which cause more harm than good. Drs. Zebenigus and Johnston presented guidelines to improve relations between the North and South, and reviewed some of the recommendations they recently submitted to the United Nations High Level Political Forum.
In conjunction with pre-eminent medical malpractice attorney Thomas P. Sartwelle, renowned medical ethicist Prof. Dr. Berna Arda from Ankara University, and leading Ethiopian neurologist Prof. Dr. Mehila Zebenigus, Dr. Johnston discussed the misguided use of electronic fetal monitoring in Africa.
James C. Johnston, MD, JD received the Davies award in public health for the paper entitled Advancing healthcare in developing nations: improving access through education. He dedicated the award to Prof. Dr. Mehila Zebenigus and the Ethiopian team, and donated the funds to the non-profit Global NeuroCare®, which is accredited by WHO and in Special Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC.
