AFC HISTORY
The ASEAN Federation of Cardiology (AFC) was conceptualized in 1973, when all official representatives of the five cardiac societies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand agreed to form a nonpolitical federation for the advancement of cardiology practice and education in Southeast Asia.In 2004, Vietnam was accepted to be the sixth member. Subsequently, Myanmar and Laos were accepted as members in 2007. In 2014, Brunei and Cambodia were accepted as members, completing the 10 ASEAN member countries.
The first meeting of the ASEAN Congress of Cardiology was held in Bali, Indonesia in 1975 under the chairmanship of Dr. Sukaman Sumaryone who subsequently became the first president of the Federation.
During the 6th ASEAN Congress in 1986, 2 traditional events were initiated. The first event was the Young Investigator Award - a scientific paper competition presented by authors below 40 years of age from ASEAN member countries.
The second event was the Sukaman Lecture, named after the first President of the AFC, Dr. Sukaman Sumaryone. The subsequent Sukaman lecturer was selected from the other member countries but not from the host country. The lecture was later changed to Sukaman Memorial Lecture after Dr. Sukaman’s death in 1987.
For more extensive information on the ASEAN Federation of Cardiology (AFC) conception, please click on link below to read:
History of the ASEAN Federation of Cardiology: A 38-Year Journey published in the ASEAN Heart Journal, 21 (1): 2-9
