The World Health Professions Alliance is an international organization which represents than 31 million health care professionals worldwide. The Alliance unites

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...

, medicine, nursing,

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

and

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

through their representative international organizations, the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), the

World Confederation for Physical Therapy Founded in 1951, World Physiotherapy is the sole international voice for physiotherapy, representing more than 625,000 physiotherapists worldwide through its 121 member organisations. World Physiotherapy is the operating name of World Confederat ...

, the FDI

World Dental Federation FDI World Dental Federation, often shortened to FDI (french: Fédération Dentaire Internationale), is the world's leading organization representing the dental profession. It serves as the principal representative body for over one million dent ...

and the World Medical Association (WMA). The WHPA was formed between ICN, FDI and WMA in 1999 as an alliance to address global health issues, with the secretariat being run from the ICN. FDI World Dental Federation was added to the Alliance in 2005 and the World Confederation for Physical Therapy joined in 2014. The aim of the organization is to facilitate collaboration between key health professionals and major international stakeholders such as governments, policymakers and the World Health Organization. The Alliance operates under the philosophy that by working in collaboration, instead of along parallel tracks, the patient and

health care system Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, Mental health, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World H ...

benefit. Since the creation of the alliance the WHPA has taken active and leading roles in fostering patient safety, advocating a positive practice environment in the health care setting, human resource issues, regulation of the health professions, human rights in medicine, producing a core competency framework for international health consultants and discussing the future of healthcare. Other activities have involved combating

counterfeit medicines A counterfeit medication or a counterfeit drug is a medication or pharmaceutical item which is produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent its origin, authenticity, or effectiveness. A counterfeit drug may contain inappropriate qua ...

, condemning the stigma associated with

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

, multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and tobacco. It regularly holds a Regulation Conference and Leadership Forum. The WHPA Secretariat is hosted at the FDI World Dental Federation in Geneva,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.whpa.org/ Medical and health organizations based in France International medical and health organizations International organizations based in France