Statement of the Federation of Medical Students Associations at the WMA on the alcohol strategy

At the World Health Assembly the International Federation of Medical Students supported the resolution on the alcohol strategy and made the following contribution to the debate.

The International Federation of Medical Students' Associations has 102 national member organizations in 95 countries and represents over one million medical students worldwide.

Young people’s health is seriously affected by alcohol related harm. That’s why we feel that it is an important health and social issue that has to be addressed. For youth it is the largest risk and mortality factor, since in some regions, about a quarter of all deaths among young males, and one tenth of deaths of young females are caused by the use of alcohol. It is also a significant factor contributing to violence and unprotected sex among young people.Youth is affected; alcohol is an important issue for us to tackle.

As a Federation of future health professionals we share the belief in the importance of establishing partnerships and networks of community agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Through such inter-disciplinary networks youth NGOs can provide care and support for alcohol addicts and their environment, sensitize the public and especially empower the vulnerable groups, advocating against alcohol abuse and raising awareness of its harmful consequences.

During the last year within the Federation we have scaled up to the existing need, by cooperating internationally as a founding member of the Alcohol Policy Youth Network, focusing our activities on ‘Youth and Alcohol’ and ‘The role of International NGOs’.

Unfortunately, today, 60 years after the foundation of the World Health Organization, the major problem of alcohol abuse and related harms is quite often neglected within the medical curricula. As medical students, we feel the importance of getting skilled in dealing with, preventing, diagnosing and treating this serious public health problem.