Blog

Abstract

As President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, I am proud to lead a truly global organisation. We may have our headquarters in London, but our activity and influence reaches far beyond the UK, with Members and Fellows around the world working tirelessly to improve healthcare
for women and girls everywhere. Wherever we are in the world, it is a busy period for the whole of our specialty. The pandemic has touched us all. Obstetrics has not stopped, yet it has been much harder to deliver a safe service during the pandemic and especially while trying to restore other services. The pressures on gynaecology, especially for those managing and prioritising waiting lists, are also significant. This is something I have observed in my own unit, here in the UK, but I know that these are challenges faced by doctors and other healthcare professionals throughout the world. In mid-June this year we hosted our first entirely digital RCOG World Congress. Over 3000 delegates attended from more than 85 countries, enjoying 240 sessions over 4 days from their homes and places of work. As always, one of the main highlights was the annual meeting of our International Representative Committee and international Liaison Group Chairs. The shared achievements, commitment and resilience demonstrated by the global O&G community cannot be underestimated, in what has been a truly unprecedented 12 months for us all. The fact that Congress attracts such a diverse group of delegates from all over the world really shows the global nature of the College, and this is something I am keen to develop further. Our Centre for Women's Global Health works to achieve our goal of improving women and girls' lives, through the delivery of respectful, high quality and accessible health care all over the world. The RCOG's new five year strategy has further strengthened this mission. One of our priority areas is the advancement of gynaecological health. Gynaecology is a neglected area of global health. Many gynaecological conditions are highly stigmatised and surrounded by secrecy, including sexually transmitted infections, fistula and infertility.