World Family Doctor day - May 19, 2020

Letter from the CEO to all WONCA Member Organizations

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 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 globally.

"World Family Doctor Day: May 19" has also now been translated into a number of different languages, including Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese:
- Día Mundial del Médico de Familia: 19 de Mayo
- Dia Mundial do Médico de Família: 19 de Maio
- 519世界家庭醫師日

2020 FDD Theme: “Family doctors on the front line”

We’re happy for Member Organizations to develop their own theme for FDD, depending on local priorities, but this year we’d especially like to highlight the theme that relevant to challenges and responsibilities of family doctors in the new global coronavirus outbreak. – "Family doctors on the front line". We especially want to emphasise that family doctors have a key role in the management of pandemic outbreak and also their pivotal role of "First in, last out." 

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. The Secretariat has also produced some posters which can be used and adapted locally: Download posters and logo

We look forward to getting reports from Member Organizations in due course with news and photos of the events held – whatever theme you choose. Many of these will be featured in future editions of WONCA News, though we regret that we now receive so many submissions on FDD that it’s simply not possible to publish them all.

With best wishes
Dr Garth Manning
WONCA Chief Executive Officer

All Family Doctor Day information