International co-operation in world cardiology. The role of the World Heart Federation.

Abstract

The World Heart Federation is the new name of the Interna-tional Society and Federation of Cardiology (ISFC), asapproved by the General Assembly, which met during theWorld Congress of Cardiology in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, inApril 1998. The organization was formed in 1978 by a mergerof the International Society of Cardiology (a professionalorganization founded in 1946, with a worldwide membershipof national societies of cardiology) and the InternationalCardiology Federation (an association of heart foundationsset up in 1970 to promote fund-raising for research, profes-sional, and public education and community programs). Thenew World Heart Federation therefore has .50 years’ expe-rience fighting heart disease throughout the world. At present,it brings together national societies of cardiology and heartfoundations from 81 countries, as well as “continental”members covering the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, theAmericas, and Africa.In recent years, the World Heart Federation has worked in2 ways: (1) through its scientific councils, which are engagedin many projects, some of them with the World HealthOrganization (WHO); and (2) through its heart foundations,now grouped in continental associations, which are veryactive in public education relating to all aspects of hearthealth. The fight against tobacco use is 1 important aim of ourorganization. Very recently, the World Heart Federation hastaken a firm position against any settlement with the tobaccocompanies proposed by the United States of America, whichdoes not give equal treatment to citizens of the United Statesand citizens of other countries. Heart foundations provide away for laypeople, many of them affected directly or indi-rectly by heart disease and stroke, to contribute to the fightagainst cardiovascular diseases, mainly by adapting theknowledge gained from research and medical practice intohealth education programs for the public.We are convinced that we now have a firm base fromwhich to define the future role of the World Heart Federationin world cardiology. We must provide leadership and supportother societies and organizations, especially our continentaland national members, in their efforts to promote cardiologyworldwide. To do this, we must reach a consensus about ourown aims and avoid duplication of activities. We hope toincrease even further the collaboration between professionalorganizations and national heart foundations within the Fed-eration, which would benefit both our fund-raising and ourscientific aims. We need to promote joint projects withspecial emphasis on preventive measures and to fight againstcardiovascular diseases in developing countries.