Fri | Nov 22, 2024

Jamaica celebrates World Family Doctor Day 2024

Published:Wednesday | June 5, 2024 | 12:09 AM
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Long Service Awardees (from left): Dr Peggy Myers-Morgan, Dr Jacqueline Campbell, Dr Aldyth Buckland, Dr Maxine Cargill, Dr Hame Persaud, Dr Jacinth Wright, Dr Arlene Henry-Dawkins, Dr Dane Levy, Dr Jennifer Bent, Dr William Brown.
Contributed
Long Service Awardees (from left): Dr Peggy Myers-Morgan, Dr Jacqueline Campbell, Dr Aldyth Buckland, Dr Maxine Cargill, Dr Hame Persaud, Dr Jacinth Wright, Dr Arlene Henry-Dawkins, Dr Dane Levy, Dr Jennifer Bent, Dr William Brown.
Awardee Dr William Brown and WFDD Chair Dr Andrea Purai.
Contributed
Awardee Dr William Brown and WFDD Chair Dr Andrea Purai.
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WORLD FAMILY Doctor Day (WFDD) was declared by the World Organizations of Family Doctors (WONCA) in 2010 and celebrated on May 19, when family doctors across the world are honoured for their service to their patients.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of WFDD celebrations in Jamaica, when the Caribbean College of Family Physicians-Jamaica Chapter (CCFP-Ja) collaborated with the Association of General Practitioners of Jamaica (AGPJ) and the Family Medicine Programme, University of the West Indies Mona (FAMMED, UWI) to recognise and honour family doctors and patients.

The 2024 celebrations was a two-day function to honour family physicians with an evening of festivity and recognition at the WFDD Stellar Awards Dinner, and enlightenment at the WFDD 2024 continuing medical education (CME) Conference the following day.

The WFDD-Jamaica Stellar Awards Dinner at the Hotel Four Seasons on Saturday, May 18, was an evening of elegance and inspiration. There was a presentation ceremony recognising outstanding contributions from family physicians. Live entertainment was provided by Dr Kathy-Ann Brown, and The UWI, Mona, Deputy Principal and ‘Signature Awardee’, Dr Tomlin Paul, presented a motivational keynote address.

Awardee categories included signature awards for persons that provided long standing service to community; adding to the development of the family doctor movement through involvement in associations, academia, research, teaching and outstanding medical community work. The awardees were Dr Alverston Bailey, Dr Arna J Brown Morgan, Dr Donald Gordon, Dr Seni Ononuju, Dr Tomlin Paul, Dr Garth Rattray, Professor Marvin Reid, and Dr Pauline Williams-Green.

The Family Doctor of Excellence Awards, introduced in 2021, highlights family doctors each year who are deserving of recognition for their hard work and consistently high standards of medical practice. They are featured in the World Family Doctor Day Supplement each year.

Meanwhile, the long service awardees recognised family doctors who over decades have exemplified the traits of service, community spirit and honour, which make them worthy of mention and emulation.

The CCFP WFDD 2024 CME Conference was held virtually under the theme ‘Preparing for the Mental Health Explosion: The Role of the Family Physician’, and underscored the crucial role that family physicians play in addressing mental health challenges within their communities.

CCFP Regional Executive from Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Paula Henry, brought attention to the WONCA theme for this WFDD, ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People’, speaking of the importance of planetary health. She pointed out that natural disasters cause not only physical harm but untold mental upheaval.

Consultant pulmonologist, Dr Terry Baker sensitised the audience to the pivotal role that artificial intelligence can play in personalising treatments in patients with asthma. Resources for maintaining mental wellness in the home, school and community was discussed by Dr Kevin Goulbourne from the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

The mental health explosion was addressed by family physicians Drs Garth Rattray, Arna Brown Morgan, Donald Gordon and Aileen Standard Goldson and psychiatrists, Dr Kevin Goulbourne and Ganesh Shetty.

A recent graduate of the Family Medicine Postgraduate Programme, Dr Martina Williams presented her research project findings, titled ‘Social and Neighbourhood Factors associated with the presence of Depressive Symptoms in Adults Living in St Catherine, Jamaica.”

The conference, with over 440 virtual attendees, was intellectually stimulating and gave attendees much food for thought.

The sponsors that made these two events possible included the The Heart Foundation of Jamaica, Image Plus Consultants Ltd, Apex Radiology, MSN, Indus Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd, Partners Heart and Health, Sandoz, Lasco Pharmaceutical Division, Ryvis Pharma, Abbott, Carimed Group Ltd, GSK, MPS, Health 2000 Canada Inc, Medipex Maison Furniture & Accessories, NCB, and Chas E. Ramson Limited.