The Honorable Shui-Bien Chen, President of the Republic of China, Presidents of the Member Associations of the CMAAO, Councilors, Delegates, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Today is the opening ceremony for the 22nd Confederation of Medical Associations of Asia & Oceania (CMAAO) Congress. On behalf of the Taiwan Medical Association and the newly inaugurated President of the CMAAO, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to everyone here and I also want to thank you for your support of the Congress.

The Taiwan Medical Association again has the privilege to host this year's event, and I am grateful for the honor that you have bestowed on me as the 25th President of the CMAAO. I feel extremely honored and challenged by this appointment, and will do everything I can to provide the best service in appreciation of your support. With your generous participation and active involvement, I believe this year's event will be a great success and will achieve all the goals we have set out to complete.

It has been 42 years since the CMAAO was established. The Confederation's mission is to bring medical education and treatment to all mankinds, to establish the highest medical ethical standards, to maintain physicians' dignity in health care, and to enhance professional standards and medical discipline in the Asia-Oceania region. Under the leadership of past presidents, officers, and through the interaction and communication among member countries, the outcome of hard work continues to benefit the medical care systems of the Asia-Oceania region.

The Year 2001 is the beginning of a new era. I believe this also is the commencement of a crucial period for medical care in every country. The transition of population structure, disease categories, health insurance reform, and the rapid development of medical technology and research will have a great impact on medical practice, physician-patient relationships and medical ethics. As the current president of the CMAAO, I deeply realize that this period of rapid change will be a time of hope and challenges. We must transform the risks into opportunities. I hope to strengthen the team spirit of all of the member countries to facilitate more active cooperation and dialogue. The power of the whole team will propel the practice of medicine in the Asia-Oceania into the international arena, allowing further participation in different global organizations, and integration with other world bodies and groups, such as the WMA and the WHO. We must share our resources with the rest of the world in order to perform our duties as members of the global community.

The delegates and council members present here are all leaders both in the medical profession and in society. I sincerely hope that with your input and effort, we can work together on behalf of health care and patient safety, and enhance the fundamental compassion and love that physicians feel toward mankind. This will help us to improve the quality of physician-patient relationships and increase the respect we receive from society.

During my upcoming 2-year tenure as the president of the CMAAO, I am eager to work hand-in-hand with all the member countries on these objectives. Through sharing medical treatment experience, we can uphold the unity and partnership we've enjoyed in the past 42 years, maintain and extend physician's rights, enhance continuous education and medical ethics, and provide the best medical service to the public.

I'm especially honored and glad that the 22nd Congress of the CMAAO is being held in Taiwan at the beginning of the 21st century. In order to further understand and resolve medical issues around the world, the theme for this year's Congress is "The Impact of Health Care Reform on the Health Care Delivery System." I hope my distinguished colleagues will share with each other unreservedly. Please exchange the success and experience in your country with each other. After 3 days of meetings and discussions, we will all have been rewarded with new and valuable information.

Finally, I want to present my sincerest welcome again to all of our guests who have traveled here from afar. I hope this year's Congress and Council will be successful and that all of our guests have a great time in Taiwan. We will do our best to meet all of your needs and make your visit a truly memorable one.

"Thank you and welcome to Taiwan!"

Yung-Tung Wu