For the last ten years, May 19 has been of particular importance for doctors of general and family medicine. Every year, on this date, the World Day of Family Physicians is marked. An opportunity to transmit, on a global level, a message about the importance of General and Family Medicine in all health systems in the World. This year, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the family doctor gains even more relevance, as noted by João Sequeira Carlos , director of the General and Family Medicine service at Hospital da Luz Lisboa: World Family Physician Day: «FGM at the forefront, from start to finish» ‘The family doctor is on the front line of fighting... The family doctor, the private in our great army, the essential factor in the battle, should be nurtured by the schools and carefully guarded by the public. Humanly speaking, with him are the issues of life and death, since upon him falls the grievious responsibility in those terrible emergencies which bring darkness and despair to so many households’ Sir William Osler, 1904 Exactly 10 years ago, the World Congress of WONCA (World Organization of Family Physicians) declared May 19 as World Day of Family Physicians. The event aims to transmit the message about the importance of General and Family Medicine (FGM) to health systems globally. In 2020, WONCA announced, without surprise, as the motto of this day "FGM at the forefront - from beginning to end". The Family Doctor has always been associated with the image of monitoring people day by day, every day of the year and in all epidemiological scenarios. For this reason, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, being on the front lines is not an occasional act of heroism, but the continued and unwavering responsibility of being unconditionally with patients. More than ever, FGM is limited to being itself, as a medical specialty and as a factor of cohesion between health teams and the population. The effort and commitment required to care for patients, in a particularly difficult phase, had an energetic response from the FGM teams at Luz Saúde Units from the beginning with total dedication, without ever ceasing their work. As a team, they maintained care for patients who needed to maintain their chronic medication and have a word of comfort from their family doctors. They were deployed in emergencies and telephone support for employees. They met safely to discuss and find the best solutions in a constructive contribution to improve the organization. They never ceased activity, as FGM would have to guarantee support for chronically ill and fragile people with permanent needs. In a second phase, they do not hesitate to resume their activity in the 'new normal', following the technical guidelines that guarantee epidemiological safety in health care. In a responsible attitude and a Herculean mission, complex agendas are managed with telephone consultations, video consultations, emergency shifts and face-to-face consultations. With commitment and great dedication, the Luz Saúde FGM teams remain determined and committed to the people who trust them. Also on the World Day of Family Physicians, they work with their patients, continuing the daily celebration of FGM and the importance of their specialists in health care provided to the population. At the front line, as always, FGM teams are the first to arrive and the last to leave.
