The founding of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG)

During the First International Primary Care Respiratory Conference hosted by the UK GPIAG (General Practice Airways Group) in Cambridge, the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) was founded. The aims of the Group are the support and co-ordination of respiratory research in primary care, the ongoing education of primary health care providers in the field of respiratory diseases and the development of guidelines for and by primary healthcare providers. This will be achieved largely through collaboration with and support for local primary care respiratory interest groups. The next international meeting will be held in Amsterdam the Netherlands in June 2002 followed by Australia in 2004. Professor Thys van der Molen (Groningen in The Netherlands, and Aberdeen in Scotland) has been elected the first chairman of the IPCRG. He will lead the group until the meeting in 2002. Thereafter Dr John Fardy from Australia and Professor Jim Reid from New Zealand will take over, in order to organize the Australian meeting.