Irish GPs highlight enormous contribution of general practice on World Family Doctor Day

Ireland’s GP community today celebrates World Family Doctor Day,  an annual WONCA-led event to highlight the essential role of family doctors in healthcare systems all over the world. This year’s theme is ‘Doctors at the Frontline’.

In Ireland the ICGP has highlighted the rapid response and essential role of GPs in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ireland as the country enters phase one of the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

The President of the ICGP, Dr Mary Favier, said: “Family doctors in Ireland have been at the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis from the beginning. Thousands of GPs all over Ireland have dealt with over 80 per cent of Covid-19 presumptive and actual cases. GPs are the first port of call for anyone with symptoms and we deal with the vast majority of cases at a GP level. 

“As policy makers now start to shape the future healthcare service, we must ensure that the voice of general practice will also be at the core of decision-making, health assessments, planning and action with an expanded role in healthcare at local, community level for patients.”

Dr Andrée Rochfort, Director of Quality Improvement, ICGP, said: “This year, World Family Doctor Day falls during a pandemic, a time of enormous pressure and stress on health systems across the globe. This day acknowledges the central role of our specialty in the delivery of personal comprehensive and continuing healthcare for all of our patients. All over the world, general practitioners are at the forefront of the management of this crisis.”

Members of the Irish GP community will participate in the social media campaign to celebrate World Family Doctor day today with the social media hashtag #WFDD20

More on World Family Doctor day here https://www.globalfamilydoctor.com/member/ForMemberOrganizations/WorldFamilyDoctorDay