WHO (https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/primary-health/declaration/gcphc-declaration.pdf) considers primary health care to be a cornerstone of sustainable health care systems. General Practice/Family Medicine is the key provider of primary health care.
WONCA Europe (https://www.woncaeurope.org/file/520e8ed3-30b4-4a74-bc35-87286d3de5c7/Definition 3rd ed 2011 with revised wonca tree.pdf) has defined General Practice/Family Medicine as both a clinical specialty and a discipline in its own right, with its own distinct curriculum and research base.
As an academic discipline, General Practice/Family Medicine is based on knowledge and methodology drawn from the Natural sciences as well as the Humanities. As committed leaders in the ongoing process of defining and implementing core values and principles, general practitioners aim to:
promote and protect the health and well-being of each individual patient while keeping in mind the needs of the general population;
provide a frame of reference for our professional identity;
provide a basis for continuing professional development, with curricula and training adapted to every educational level – undergraduate, post-graduate, and beyond;
communicate our mandate and the principles of our work to patients, fellow healthcare workers, and the communities we serve.
