Federacja Polonijnych Organizacji Medycznych

Federation des Associations Medicales Polonaises de l'Etranger

According to unofficial estimates, the number of physicians of Polish descent who reside outside of Poland ranges somewhere between ten and twenty thousand. The largest clusters of physicians who relate themselves to Poland are in North America, Western Europe and in the western parts of the former Soviet Union. There are organizations of Polish physicians in many countries. For a long time there was an evident need to know each other, and to establish contact and collaboration between those organizations. After more than a year of preliminary meetings and contacts, a group of colleagues from England, France and Sweden formed a formal basis for international integration by establishing the Federation of Polish Medical Organizations Abroad, on March 13, 1994.

The founding members of the Federation were associations from London, Paris, Lille and Stockholm. As of now, the Federation includes sixteen member organizations. The Federation is an emigre and nonpolitical organization. It has the following purposes:

1. exchange of experiences, professional cooperation and social relations between member organizations;
2. represenation of the common interests of the member organizations in their relations with the medical community in Poland and internationally;
3. professional, scientific and collegial cooperation with medical and scientific communities in Poland;
4. organization of meetings and conferences for medical Polonia.

There is a Federation Council which directs the Federation's activities. The Council includes one, two or three delegates from each member organization depending on the respective sizes of those organizations. T

The Federation's activities are based on its Bylaws approved on March 13, 1994 (last amendment Decembre, 2002). Anything that remains unclear or any emerging problems are being solved through discussions and are voted on with the participation of all the members of the Council. The Federation's funds derive from membership dues paid by member organizations. Currently they amount to 10 percent of membership dues paid by the individual members of the local associations. The Federation has a bank account with the Manufacturers Bank in Chicago, Illinois; the account number is 269-401. The Federation is incorporated in the State of Illinois, USA.

The Federation admits associations of Polish physicians, which in some instances include pharmacists, nurses and biomedical scientists. The Federation may be joined by any such association based outside of Poland if it supports the statutory purposes of the Federation. Admission to the Federation is by a vote of all members of the Federation Council. Organizations which join the Federation retain their independence, function according to their own bylaws, have their own purposes and modes of operation, and their own rules for admission of members and for members' rights and duties. Member organizations are represented by the Federation within agreed upon limits and in a manner that serves their common goals.