Family physicians key to quality healthcare delivery, national development

THE WORLD Family Doctor’s Day theme for 2022 is ‘Always there to care’. The day was conceptualised to commemorate and highlight the value of family physicians in the healthcare system.

Family physicians, or general practitioners, as they are often called here, are trained physicians who are often the first port of call for health issues, and provide care throughout the life course – from birth through to childhood, adulthood and the senior years. As such, they are on the frontline in any epidemic, and are the backbone of the health response to our ongoing epidemic of chronic non-communicable diseases. However, they are not only involved in curative activities, but in wellness promotion, health maintenance, and counselling activities.

The theme this year has been selected to highlight the resilience, reliability, and accessibility to care that family physicians provide. In other words, family physicians, through their work in the office, in communities, at places of worship, and in media, are championing their client’s welfare and ensuring that their fundamental human right to health is achieved. In fact, family physicians are key stakeholders in national development, as it is now well-recognised that quality healthcare is a developmental imperative for all countries and underpins several of the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations.

So, it is within this context that we celebrate and congratulate the Caribbean College of Family Physicians, the Association of General Practitioners of Jamaica, and the Family Medicine Section of the Department of Community Health and Psychiatry at The University of the West Indies, Mona, as well as family physicians worldwide for bringing to the fore of our consciousness their enduring and indefatigable commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of their clients and wish that they will have a productive and rewarding World Family Doctor’s Day.

Marvin Reid President of Caribbean College of Family Physicians