ASEAN Federation of Cardiology founded in 1975. The first members are Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore, & Thailand.
In October 1975, the first meeting of the AFC took place in Bali, Indonesia. It was organized by Dr. Sukaman Sumaryono from Indonesia and attended by Drs. Lily Rilantono, Boedhi Darmojo and Asikin Hanafiah. Three ministers from the Republic of Indonesia – The Minister of Health, Prof. G.A. Siwabessy; the Minister of Education and Culture, Dr. Syarif Thayeb; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Adam Malik – graced the occasion. The representative from Malaysia included Dr. Joseph Eravelly and Prof. R.P. Pillay; from Philippines, Drs. H.B. Calleja, Avenilo Aventura and Yolanda Sulit; from Singapore, Drs. Charles Toh, Low Lip Ping, Chia Boon Lock, Joseph Sheares, N.C. Tan, Dixie Tan, Lim Chin Hock and Lenny Tan; and from Thailand, Drs. Kamol Sindhavanonda, Kumpol Pracuabmoh and Prinya Sakiyalak.
It was decided that a biennial congress would be held and rotated amongst the five original countries of ASEAN. The Organizing chairperson becomes the President of the AFC until the next congress. The 1st ASEAN Congress of Cardiology held in Pertamina Cottage Hotel, Denpasar, Bali.
The 1st Convocation of Asean College of Cardiology (FAsCC) held on April 19, 2007 at Bali International Convention Center during the 16th ASEAN Congress of Cardiology.
THE ASEAN CONGRESS OF CARDIOLOGY (ACC) 1975 – 2018 :
In 1986, the Sukaman Lecture was established to recognize and honor outstanding ASEAN cardiology doctors who have dedicated service, work and contribution to the advancement of ASEAN cardiology. Following the tragic death of Dr. Sukaman in 1987 in a car accident, the lecture was renamed “Sukaman Memorial Lecture”. The first Sukaman Memorial lecture delivered at the 7th Asean Congress of Cardiology in Manila in 1988 presented by Dr. Lily I Rilantono from Indonesia.
