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FROM THE PRESIDENT M A Y
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‘FAMILY DOCTORS–ALWAYS THERE TO CARE’ Family Doctor Day provides all of us a golden opportunity to shine a spotlight on the central role our discipline plays in achieving the goals of Universal Health Coverage and Health for All.
F R O M
We plan to stress that globally, and I’m sure the seven WONCA presidents will do so regionally. Each and every one of us can also seize the moment, individually, to advocate on behalf of our field in the communities where we work and live. Check out the toolkit our Communications Officer, Maria Zavala, has assembled for us, complete with graphics, hashtags, useful visual materials, and more.
T H E
In preparation for the campaign, the title I’ve chosen for this newsletter is the slogan that the Executive Board arrived at after a brainstorming process. At first glance it might seem simplistic. It’s not. It’s basic, evoking the fundamentals. Let me ‘unpack’ that apparently simple slogan to reveal some of its complexity.
‘FAMILY DOCTORS’
P R E S I D E N T
We know who we are, but not everybody else does. We can use this opportunity to make it clear that we represent a medical specialty, with its own curriculum and research base. How, they may wonder, is our specialty different from the others? We are...‘Always There to Care’.
‘ALWAYS THERE’
That’s the hallmark of Family Medicine – continuity. People know what that’s worth because we’ve shown them: “I’ve been with you during the pandemic. I was there when you expected your first child, and to support you when postpartum challenges kicked in. I tend to your children when they come down with ordinary infections. I can advise you about their vaccinations, about stages of their development that worry you. I recognize when you’ve reached your limit and need time off from work. I can help you sort symptoms of disease from normal physiological responses. And, I plan to be there with you as you age, until, that is, I’m too old to keep on working. I’m hoping to put that day off by also taking good care of myself.” Family Medicine is indeed a clinical discipline, with diagnosing and treating disease being among our primary tasks. But we have a much broader repertoire, including, in the slogan’s words:
‘TO CARE’
We are profoundly aware that social care is a prerequisite for health. Thus, when treatment plans are designed, Family Doctors take all relationships into consideration.
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