Dear colleagues

World Family Doctor Day (FDD) – 19th May - was first declared by WONCA in 2010 and it has become a day to highlight the role and contribution of family doctors in health care systems around the world. The event has gained momentum globally each year and it is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the central role of our specialty in the delivery of personal, comprehensive and continuing health care for all of our patients. It’s also a chance to celebrate the progress being made in family medicine and the special contributions of family doctors all around the world.

Last year many of our colleagues across the globe celebrated the day by organising a variety of events and activities, and we received reports and photographs from many countries, which we were able to feature in WONCA News. Karen Flegg, the WONCA Editor, has even produced a template for countries and College and societies and associations, to aid reporting.

The Secretariat has also produced some posters which can be used and adapted locally. Please consult the WONCA World website. 

We’re very happy for Member Organizations to develop their own theme for FDD, depending on local priorities, but this year we’d especially like to highlight depression. Depression is the chosen theme for World Health Day, and WHO has made a number of posters and videos available for general use, and has even produced regional variations of many of the posters. These materials can all be found on the WHO website.

WONCA would like to help to publicise this very important topic and this will be augmented by articles in WONCA News from our Working Party on Mental Health.

We look forward to getting reports from Member Organizations in due course with news and photos of the events held – whatever theme you choose - and many of these will be featured in future editions of WONCA News.

Dr Garth Manning
WONCA Chief Executive Officer