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Welcome Letter by

Prof. Amanda Barnard

IPCRG President

Barnard

Welcome to IPCRG Tunisia 2026:
be part of our community

On behalf of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) working with our North African colleagues, we invite you to collaborate with us on the 13th IPCRG World Conference, taking place in Tunis, Tunisia, from 11-14 June 2026.

This will be our first conference in Africa. It is a major opportunity to exchange learning about innovation in research and education as we all seek the best ways within resource limitations to improve access for patients to good quality respiratory care.

We are also combining the conference with our first North African Interdisciplinary Forum.  This Forum has been set up recognising that responsibilities for diagnosis and management vary between Africa and other regions and between North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this is a chance to explore how healthcare systems can optimise the roles of different healthcare professionals, depending on the local context.

Our aim is to attract over 600 respiratory leaders, clinicians and researchers to Tunis providing plentiful opportunities for networking. Tunis will be our most interactive conference ever, with most sessions in workshop formats to encourage active participation in debates about new research and educational approaches.  IPCRG has a strong reputation for its conferences offering a real community spirit, and we intend to build on that!

It is also our 25th anniversary; 25 years since a group of family physicians from across the world formed the IPCRG to share datasets, build real life research networks, and provide excellent peer-led teaching and learning.  We will be welcoming back Profs David Price and Thys van der Molen, the first professors of primary care respiratory medicine and fellow co-founders of IPCRG, to reflect on how far we’ve come, and to look forward to future innovation and collaborations.  We hope that other co-founders will also return as mentors to support our early career researchers, Right Care champions and respiratory leaders. 

So, this is a real opportunity to expand your networks and gain powerful insights into the different ways lung health can be achieved.  We look forward to working with you on the 13th IPCRG World Conference.

With my best wishes,

Amanda Barnard
IPCRG President
Emeritus Professor Australian National University

Welcome Letter by

Prof. Habib Ghedira

Conference Host and Co-chair Scientific Programme Committee

Ghedira

Dear colleagues and friends,

I am honored to invite you to Tunis to participate in the 13th IPCRG World Conference and 1st North African Interdisciplinary Forum, to advance the vital initiative of improving lung health where the needs are greatest. Together, we’ll combine cutting-edge research with IPCRG’s extensive reach to over 41 countries to make an impact.

The Saharian fennec fox survives with oversized ears—adapting to heat, for thermoregulation, and silence for better hunting. We may need to be like fennecs to better listen to the communities battling respiratory diseases and facing challenges such as the extreme heat impacting on lungs.

Our theme of Listening Deeply has been carefully selected to reflect the complexity of our experience in the region. Faced with challenges of tobacco dependence, and environmental dust and heat, respiratory problems are common. People attend a range of different healthcare professionals to find a diagnosis and treatment. These professionals have varying educational backgrounds, equipment and support teams. Our goal is to simplify pathways for our patients so that they all get access to good quality diagnosis and management; and those who need onward referral receive this in a timely and effective way.

With COPD, asthma, rhinitis and cough challenges in our region, IPCRG’s Simplified Spirometry and Right Care programs are important examples of what the conference will deliver in terms of practical solutions to help improve lung health.

Alongside the scientific programme, participants will also enjoy Tunis, previously the ancient trading city of Carthage, and the renowned hospitality and ancient culture of Tunisia.

Thank you for joining this mission to transform lung health across the region. We hope to see you in Tunis!

Yours sincerely,

Habib Ghedira
Co-Chair of the Scientific Programme Committee and local conference host
Professor, MD in Pulmonology and Allergology

What do we mean by primary respiratory care?

How primary care is defined varies considerably globally, but as the only global primary care respiratory group, that represents primary care on the WHO-convened network GARD, our view is that it includes these functionswhoever typically provides them:
  • First contact respiratory care
  • Diagnosis of common CRDs such as COPD, asthma and rhinitis
  • Management of common CRDs and common symptoms such as cough and breathlessness over time
  • Referral to appropriate specialists and continued management following discharge
  • Leadership of these services in the community and neighborhoods including public protection e.g. awareness raising and protection from environmental harms
  • Teaching and capacity building of the local system to improve the quality of care
  • Under-graduate and post-graduate clinical teaching in the diagnosis and long term management of CRDs including prevention and management of respiratory infections, tobacco dependence
  • Quality assurance
  • Real life research in community settings including general practice, walk in emergency departments, community clinics, at home