Founded in the year 1962 as a non-governmental professional association, the Commonwealth Medical Association has over the decades, made sustained efforts at fulfilling her core mandate of strengthening the capacities of National Medical Associations (NMAs) of countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, to improve their health systems, as well as the health, well-being and human rights of citizens in their respective countries. In this regard, I pay special tribute to all past leaders and officers of the Commonwealth Medical Association for their valuable services to the Association.

The current Executive Committee of the CMA was formally sworn into office on Tuesday, 5^th November, 2019 during the 25^th Triennial Council Meeting and Conference of the Association held in Abuja, Nigeria. Since her inauguration, the current CMA Executive Committee has been diligently working round the clock to advance policies, programs and initiatives that align with the Association’s mission and vision, particularly centered around consolidation on the gains of the past and the development of new programs, concepts and strategies to advance the objectives of the Association, through the strengthening of her internal and external architecture, as well as making viable contributions to fast tracking the attainment of Universal Health Coverage in the Commonwealth.

As part of efforts to deepen participation in the Association, additional levels of membership have been introduced. Importantly, I am glad to inform our young doctors in the Commonwealth that, the CMA has established a Young Doctors Forum. This, along with other new categories of membership that have been created, will hopefully help to harness the creativity, potentials, energies and resourcefulness of our younger doctors and diverse membership. As we forge ahead, we hope to leverage on these important platforms to seek the viable inputs and contributions of our members towards the advancement of our common aspiration.

One of the very unfortunate developments that occurred at the turn of the 2^nd decade of the 21^st century is the outbreak of the ravaging Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). This outbreak which first came to public attention following reports of an acute respiratory illness in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China, has since become a global burden, with the World Health Organization declaring it a pandemic on the 11^th of March, 2020.

The Association has not lost sight of the enormous burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to make her contributions to the containment of this pandemic, since its emergence. The Association is profoundly appreciative of the efforts of Physicians and other Health workers across the commonwealth, for their patriotic and professional management of COVID-19 patients in their various countries, despite the irregular and inadequate supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and other incentives, and the attendant risks posed to them. We express our deepest condolences to the families of our colleagues and health workers who have had to pay the supreme price, in the course of protecting humanity from this plaque. We also deeply condole the families of other citizens who have been felled by COVID-19. We pray for the eternal repose of their great souls. The CMA shall continue to support Governments, National Medical Associations and other stakeholders to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic. In furtherance of this commitment, and to complement her previous efforts, the Association has scheduled an international webinar for Wednesday, July 1^st, 2020 at 2pm London Time, centered on the theme: “Regional Perspectives on Clinical Case Management of COVID-19; Current Realities, Best Practices, and Challenges.” One of the expected outcomes of this webinar is the development of a consensus document to guide clinical case management of COVID-19 patients in the Commonwealth.

Other key priorities of the current leadership of the CMA, amongst others, include the protection and restoration of professional autonomy and professional dignity, advancement of ethics and professionalism, address of health workforce crisis in the Commonwealth, including advocacy for improved welfare and wellbeing of physicians and other health workers. We are convinced that these and other initiatives will assist in the attainment of the SDG 2030 Agenda in the Commonwealth, particularly the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Notwithstanding the above progressive initiatives which we seek to drive, we hope to strengthen our partnership with our development partners, and other bodies with similar aims and objectives. I therefore wish to call on all stakeholders and development partners to support the CMA and her initiatives.

Finally, I wish to assure our members, National Medical Associations, and citizens of the Commonwealth, that the CMA is very committed to making her contributions to the advancement of the health and wellbeing of the people of the Commonwealth.

We enjoin everyone to support and interface with the leadership of the CMA as we work to strengthen health systems and the health workforce in the Commonwealth. We shall value your feedback, ideas, suggestions, and support at all times.

I wish everyone a pleasant experience with the CMA Website.

Welcome!!!

Dr. Osahon Enabulele, _{M.B.B.S, MHPM, FWACP}

President, Commonwealth Medical Association.