Dr Jeffrey Low has done a great job with the help of the web design company Basic Element. Do visit our website at sccps@sccps.org. There are links to colposcopy and pathology resources, to other national and international societies, as well as information on upcoming courses and meetings. There is also a photo album on our societies' activities!

Lee Foundation has generously given our Society a grant to support the setup of our website. If you have any feedback or ideas for our website, please let me or Dr J Low know.

This was held in Barcelona, Spain from 9 - 13th June 2002. Four members of our society, Dr Quek Swee Chong, Dr Adelina Wong, Dr Fong Kah Leng and I, attended the Congress. Dr Quek presented a paper on "Computerized Colposcopy Imaging - A Clinician's Perspective". Dr Adelina Wong presented the paper on "Colposcopic Terminology as an Aid to Treatment" during the pre-congress course on Consensus on Terminology, and I chaired the session on " Screening for Cervical Cancer in Developing Countries".

We enjoyed the Congress very much with the interesting and informative lectures in the main congress and the pre-congress sessions, and also met many new friends from the different societies. Barcelona is a very lively and friendly city with great architecture and food!

We presented our bid during the XIth World Congress in Barcelona, but we were unfortunately not successful in our bid. There were four societies bidding: Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand and Singapore. The voting went into 3 rounds and we lost in the final round to New Zealand. However our Society has done its best, and we put up a very creditable bid.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) helped us tremendously through the whole process of initially putting together our bid document to finally presenting the bid in Barcelona, and we thank them for their support and help!

We wish the New Zealand Society of Cervical Pathology & Colposcopy all the best for the 2008 World Congress.

This course is scheduled for the last weekend in March, 29 - 30th March 2003. Our keynote speaker for the course is Prof. Santiago Dexeus from Spain, the immediate past president of the IFCPC, and he will also deliver our Annual Oration.

A/Prof Tay Sun Kuie of SGH will be organizing the course and he has a very interesting programme so I hope all of you will be able to attend.

Thank you for returning the feedback forms on colposcopy training and accreditation. 70 responded including some members from OGSS. The majority (52) agreed there should be ongoing colposcopy accreditation and 40 thought that the societies (either SCCPS or OGSS) should oversee the process. 38 thought that a colposcopist should attend a colposcopy course 3 yearly while 22 thought it should be 2 yearly. 67 wished to be included in the grandfather clause.

This feedback was presented to the CervicalScreen Singapore (the national cervical cancer screening programme for Singapore) subcommittee on Quality Assurance & Training for PAP Smear Taking & Colposcopy. This subcommittee has made the following proposals:

a) New colposcopists: Training requirements to comprise a formal colposcopy course, practical hands on training in colposcopy and treatment of CIN, and a test at the end of training.

b) Grandfather clause: Registered O&G specialists who are currently performing colposcopy can register under this clause, and should attend a colposcopy course every 2 years.

c) The SCCPS will undertake the registration process and keep a register of colposcopists.

In view of this, the SCCPS Council in the last council meeting decided to form a subcommittee, the Colposcpy Registration Committee. This committee will look into the syllabus requirements and details of training for new colposcopists, the criteria required and mechanism for appointment of trainers, as well as the process of registration for colposcopists. Dr Adelina Wong will be chairing this committee and the committee's recommendations will be submitted to the SCCPS Council for consideration.

The information and details of colposcopy training and registration will be sent to all registered O&G specialists and trainees in due course.

These guidelines which the SCCPS helped to develop will be sent to all practitioners by the Health Promotion Board in the near future.

Please fill in your email address in the accompanying form so that we can also disseminate information to you by email.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely

Dr Lee I Wuen

President