Have you ever wondered what happens if we don’t have our family doctor with us? Never mind your reply. That’s why we celebrate World Family Doctor’s Day (WFDD) annually every May 13.
Many of our local hospitals had their distinct styles of celebrating. The Cebu Institute of Medicine-Cebu Velez General Hospital Department of Family and Community Medicine’s WFDD initiative believes that the restoration of greenery around our environment will have a positive impact on the collective well-being of our stakeholders. Not merely for beautification, it is a necessary step towards a conducive environment of wellness for all.
Over at Chong Hua Hospital Cebu and Mandaue, the medical staff of the Department of Family and Community Medicine joined forces in conjunction with the WFDD celebration. Four generations of doctors in sync with each other did a clean-up drive along the beachfront in Catarman, Lilo-an, Cebu. Hosted by matriarch and consultant Dr. Rosita Charbonneau, the clean-up drive was a department initiative with the goal of promoting environmental protection of the coastal areas.
Unmindful of the intense summer heat, everyone’s attention was focused on picking up garbage using gloved hands. By mid-morning, all had a sackful of trash!
WFDD is a celebration of all family physicians around the world as a form of appreciation to our primary care providers and for these physicians to give back to the community. This year’s WFDD, celebrated had the theme “Healthy Planet, Healthy People.”
UC Medical Center observed that water and electricity bills would skyrocket during this season. With the news that the water reservoirs in Cebu were dwindling, causing company brownouts to preserve electricity, the decision was made to create an information campaign on water and energy conservation. This activity was conceptualized to help educate the public on how to save resources and use them for more important things, such as health.
Being in the digital age, the company partnered with the Municipal Health Office (MHO) of Consolacion in northern Cebu to post infographics about water and energy conservation through its Facebook page. The first Facebook post was on the day of WFDD, followed by other postings and was shared multiple times.
(To be continued and concluded next week, June 20, 2024.)