Definition and Role of Family Medicine
- Family medicine is defined as a medical specialty focused on comprehensive, personal, and continuous healthcare.
- It serves individuals of all ages within the context of their family and community.
Official Recognition of Family Medicine
- The Department of Health recognized family medicine as a medical specialty in 1979.
- This recognition includes training provisions for doctors specializing in family medicine.
Importance of Family Doctors in the Healthcare System
- Family doctors are essential to the national healthcare system.
- They provide primary, continuous, and holistic care, which contributes to overall community health.
International Recognition and Commemoration
- The World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), with the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) as a founding member, initiated World Family Doctors Day.
- The day is celebrated annually on May 19, starting in 2011, to honor family doctors globally.
Purpose of Declaring Family Doctors Day
- The declaration expresses national appreciation for the contributions of family doctors.
- It aims to raise public awareness about the critical role that family doctors play in healthcare.
Presidential Proclamation
- May 19 is officially declared Family Doctors Day in the Philippines.
- The proclamation is signed by the President of the Philippines and the Executive Secretary, making it a formal national observance.