<>A big thank you to Veterinary Practitioners Association of Thailand (VPAT) for hosting us!
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During June, WSAVA President Dr Ellen van Nierop, Past President Dr Siraya Chunekamrai, WSAVA Vice President Jim Berry and Board member Dr Nalinika Obeyesekere were invited to attend VPAT’s regional congress in Bangkok, attended by more than 2,800 delegates from across Asia. Dr Jim Berry spoke on ‘Ethics, Welfare and Pain Management’ during the congress with particular reference to the WSAVA’s recently updated Global Guidelines on pain management. VPAT has formed an expert group to translate all of our Global Guidelines and to run regular CE evens to promote their use. This is a fantastic initiative – thank you VPAT!
While in Bangkok, the Executive Board held a Members’ Forum with member representatives from Asia to learn more about the issues and opportunities they face and how we can support them better. They then visited Vietnam, where they visited local practices before participating in two-day seminar hosted by the Vietnam Small Animal Veterinary Association (VSAVA). Ellen van Nierop, Jim Berry and Nalinika Obeyesekere addressed more than 100 delegates on a range of topics, highlighting the value of WSAVA Global Guidelines on Pain Management, Animal Welfare and other aspects of veterinary medicine, explaining how they could be used most effectively in practice.
Ellen van Nierop explains: “It was a privilege not just to participate in VPAT but also to learn from the many excellent regional speakers. We also enjoyed meeting members of VSAVA, one of our newer member associations which we were delighted to support with CE, particularly on pain management – an important topic in the country.
“The opportunity to sit down with our members from Asia during our Members’ Forum and hear first-hand how we can support them was also very valuable. They gave us some great ideas and we have taken away some important actions. Stay tuned for next steps! “