"Family doctors do not expect the better times, they make them happen"

Good morning

On March I received a message from Dr. Barbara Toplek, where she informed me that I have been awarded The 5-Star Doctor 2017 of WONCA. Since then I have been going from one emotion to another. 

In the first place I would like to thank to Dr. Domingo Orozco and semFYC (Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine). I am deeply grateful for their confidence and that they think I deserve this award, to my family, friends and colleagues for their affection, especially to my patients who, since they received the news are very active phoning emailing and posting me with a great affection in the social media. 

The Family Medicine was not just a profession or career to me, but also my way to understand and practice medical specialty. It has meant everything to me. 

I think it is not only a group of activities or even a strategy to improve the health systems, but it is an authentic philosophy of life. A kind of Philosophy where the people, society, quality, ethics are the most important priorities which run a successful medical care.

That is paramount for people’s health. When Family Medicine is strong, the population health is greater. 

In that case we will not win Nobel prizes but we will get better health. The morbility and preventable mortality indicators attributable to Primary Care will be increasingly better.

We can begin with asserting that we did not align ourselves with the school of Cnidus, where science is at the centre of everything: an approach that has made the majority of our healthcare systems hospital-centred. Scientifically and philosophically we see ourselves are direct descendants from the medical school of Kos, from Hippocrates and the conception that science is always in the service of Humanity as reflected in the dicta “There are no diseases, but sick people” and the doctors “Cure Sometimes, Treat often, Comfort Always”. 

But let me tell you that all the while —at all times— we had as our framework of reference the whole set of wonderful documents and definitions issued by WONCA. Especially important for me was the work done by EURACT and all those fabulous comparative analyses of bachelor-level and specialized training systems across Europe.

So thank you very much for all that you do on behalf of all family medicine professionals from all over the world. And let me especially thank you for this award that has filled me with joy and energy.

And as a final phrase from our specialty program I would like to say "Family doctors do not expect the better times, they make them happen".

Thank you very much.