It is an annual conference with the majority of the delegates from across East Asia. Every year, the Organising Committee of the Conference would arrange for a 5 day itinerary packed with academic and cultural activities surrounding a chosen theme. Year after year, EAMSC continue to inspire medical students to examine international health issues closely, evaluate the role of a medical student in promotion of public health and to think beyond the scope of classroom knowledge.
Back in 1987, during the 8th Asian Medical Students’ Conference in Malaysia, delegates from Taiwan and Korea agreed about the need for more specialized conference between the two countries. The former name for EAMSC as “Korea-China medical students’ conference” (also known as the ”Sino-Korea Medical Students’ Conference”). Japan and Hong Kong had not joined this conference yet. The conference is always held in late January or early February.
And in 1988, the 1st conference was held in Korea under the theme of “The Present Status and Future of Medical Service in Asia”. By 1994, when the fifteenth AMSC was held in Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan decided to participate in the next EAMSC. Due to the participation of Hong Kong and Japan, the conference decided to change its name to East Asia Medical Students Conference.
In 2002, the Philippines was the sponsor of EAMSC. By that time, the conference was participated by all members of AMSA, who come from places all over Asia and Oceania.
The various themes that were explored in past conferences are as listed below:
- “Hepatitis B - An Epidemic in Korea and Taiwan”
- “The New Hope for Life - Organ Transplantation”
- “Prevention of Tuberculosis”
- “Prevention of Occupational Disease - On its Review of Present Status and Prospective”
- “Geriatric Disorders - The Medicine of the 21st Century”
- “The Liver Disease”
- “Alcohol and Drug Abuse”
- “Rehabilitation”
- “The Evolution of Modern Medicine” [Theme for the 10 th year anniversary]
- “Emergency: Medical Students’ Role on Disaster Management”
- “The Prevention and Control of Newly-arisen Epidemic”
The theme for the latest conference; the 21st EAMSC held in 2008 in Thailand was “Alcohol, Medical & Social Aspects” (a.k.a. AMSA).
Most of the articles in the symposium are related to East Asian Regions. For example, in past years’ conferences, there were papers discussing about the current mortality pattern in Hongkong and Korea, the Anti tumor effect of Ginseng, Current Health Seeking Behavior in Korea, The Evolution of the Social Status of Physicians in Taiwan, and so on.
The EAMSC is composed of member states of the AMSA (Asian Medical Students’ Association) and for this cause, it also has a conference anthem, ”See The World in Perfect Harmony”, same as the AMSA song. There is neither a permanent President nor a Secretary General, only a chairman for the conference and a chairman for the working committee. The contact work is done by four RCs (Regional Coordinators) from different countries. During each conference delegates are divided into different groups and there are guides from the working committee to get everybody to know each other well and to become their tour guide in the city.
