Silver anniversary of Pan Arab Congress on anesthesia and intensive care.

From [Figures 1 and 2] Amman in 1985 to Damascus in 2011, the span of time amounts to 25 years of continuous Pan Arab Congresses organized by Arab anesthesiologists. This does not reflect either nationalistic or racist tendencies, but are conducted by professional anesthesiologists who belong to the culture of what we consider Arab League Countries.

Figure 1

Openning of 1st Pan Arab Congress November 1985 Late Dr. Hilmi Hijazi welcomed the attendants (Photo presented from Prof. Izdiad Badran)

Figure 2

10th Pan Arab Congress on Anesthesia and Intensive Care and Pain Management 2011, May 5-7th http://www.anespanarab2011.com

This would tell us a story of evolving from the dust of history and rising from under the domination of colonization by dark powerful forces which made the progress impossible. The rebirth of entity of societies allowed the progress of science and devoted minds to be counted among nations. It also allowed extending arms to cooperate with the rest of the world.

Although it is an Arabic congress, very few lectures are delivered in Arabic. Mostly, they are written in English and French. In certain occasions, instant translation is available to the attendance. The audiences are mostly educated in foreign languages such as French, English, Italian, Hungarian, German, Romanian, Urdu, Turkish, and many other languages. Although the teaching is in Arabic, in Syrian Universities, foreign languages are easily used as in the universities of Arabic countries. Francophone countries in North Africa use French even in symposia.

With all these mountains of separation, the vision and mission of Pan Arab Congresses were to create communication among anesthesiologists of these regional and cultural boundaries.

It sounds simple but requires hard work to streamline the differences. This is the process which survived the test of time. In the sixties of the last century, two congresses erupted – one in Beirut and the other one in Alexandria for one time and were never repeated. The organizers were university professors and pioneers in their specialties. But they did not have critical masses of practitioner anesthesiologists to attend.

In the 80s of the last century, many young qualified anesthesiologists came back from training and they assumed a leading position among the anesthesiologists’ critical mass who felt proud just to be in what was called “First Pan Arab Congress on Anesthesia and Intensive Care,” under the patronage of late King Hussein Ibn Talal. It was not a club of friends, but a collection of academic and professional, highly educated, prominent anesthesiologists.

The congress was organized by Anesthesia Committee of Jordan Medical Council leading all the sectors of health in that country, i.e., military, Ministry of Health, Jordan University and private sectors.

It was an extreme success and everybody felt that they were part of the congress. It was fully away from any political or extreme views. It was a multicolor festival of science and cerebration.

After that, there was simple code of work written and declared in Tunisia during the 3rd Pan Arab Congress that led to a series of developments.

Regular congresses

Encouraging initiation anesthesia national societies

Creation of Arab Board of Anesthesia

Foundation of Anesthesia: Essays and Researches (AER)

Pan Arab Scientific Committee

Federation PAFSA

Link with World Federation if Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA)

Integrating with other regional groups

Regional subspecialties group

History of anesthesia in the Middle East

Pediatric anesthesia in the Middle East

Pain management

Thoracic … and so on

Today, nobody is satisfied among the active members. We need to do more. There are questions about the federation:

Why do we need federation if we have strong national societies? Why do I need a congress in the Pan Arab while I can be a member of Euro-anesthesia or American Society of the Anesthesiologists or attend the congresses around the world to hear directly the hot research and advancement?

Why do I have to invite guest speakers while I can hear them better prepared in their countries?

All are legitimate questions and only open the door for challenges for local and international speakers in the forthcoming congresses. The questions should not be ignored but should never be replied by a wrong move.

Customers are always right. We cannot expect audience for congress, where attendent know beforehand that lecturers repeat their talks..

Modern congresses are a festival of science, a social gathering festival, focusing on modern development and first hand learning experience. They conduct continuous medical education (CME) workshops and leading issue forum.

Modern educational activities are not an extension of university classes. They should be an area where participants feel relaxed, important and well looked after. They should address issues needed in their practice. They should be part of the program led by conducting opinion of attendants and product of satisfaction measure. This approach is expensive and needs a hard working team or a private agency. The research projects conducted in Arab World should be encouraged and given platform in every congress.

Organizers should not waste participants’ time and money by giving them bad experiences in the congress; instead they should give them great attention and something that they would always remember.