Dr Kishore Madhwani writes on the FAMILY MEDICINE SPECIALIST DAY, which was observed on  SEPTEMBER 27 at NAVI MUMBAI

The pandemic has made us realise the importance of having a family physician to look after the health of all family members;  a formidable task as the family physician has to treat all age groups in the family (paediatric, adolescent, geriatric) along with expertise in dealing with all emergencies as well as psycho-social ailments, substance abuse and, now, gaming addiction among the youngsters.

Hence the Academy of Family Physicians of India (AFPI) on 27th September celebrated its Foundation Day as the National Family Medicine Specialist Day to create awareness that Family Medicine is the way forward for a healthier and robust futuristic India.

The Maharashtra chapter of AFPI conducted an awareness drive and program for medical students at Fortis Vashi, Navi Mumbai, with their consultant faculty, as the Hospital in 2022 has been allotted two posts for graduation in Family Medicine. The Ministry of Health has directed all the regional All India Institute of Medical Science Colleges to commence compulsory, from this year, Family Medicine Departments & Family Medicine Post Graduation courses.

On the occasion, in my capacity as AFPI President Maharashtra, I voiced and stated that it is now time for the general physician to be awarded a consultant status of  a Family Medicine Specialist. It is a unique speciality, where clinicians imbibe exclusive skills and acumen for various disciplines like emergency care at home, office and clinic, lifestyle disease behaviour change, wellness, occupational health and environmental health disciplines, along with leadership and managerial skills to efficiently operate private clinic enterprises/clinic  chains.

I emphasised that the role of family medicine specialist is constantly changing and is extremely challenging. With emerging technologies and tele consultations, the family medicine specialists should advocate use of cost-effective technological innovations and Point of contact (POC) devices to provide quality and affordable primary medical care in India and globally. POC device manufacturers displayed their products for the benefit of all participant doctors and medical students. 

Dr Mahesh Pawar, Vice-President emphasised that apart from treating the ailments, family doctors enjoy the privilege of being consulted for all problems faced by the family, a role that was forgotten due to their dwindling strength. The good news now is that with each passing year the numbers of Family Medicine Specialists will increase, gradually, in India.

Dr Farah Ingle a Consulting Physician, Dr Kumar Salvi a Paediatrician and Dr Trupti Rathod, Medical Superintendent, appreciated the role of Family Medicine Specialists’ as they successfully bridged the gap between the citizens’ and Fortis Hospital. The MOC for the event was Dr Darshana Salve, Secretary AFPI Maharashtra and the event was sponsored by Fortis Vashi.