Angola has 264 family doctors only for around 30 million inhabitants, according to data from the College of General and Family Medicine.

Nasser Calumbuana, a family medicine doctor, on Friday told ANGOP that this number includes nationals and expatriates and it is still far from satisfying the needs of the country.

Nasser Calimbuana said that a family doctor is a professional who serves people of all ages and genders, providing comprehensive and continuous assistance to communities.

In this regard, “there is a need for the country to train more specialists in this medical field which is extremely important for disease prevention”, he said while talking about the Family Doctor Day celebrated on May 19 worldwide.

Nasser Calimbuana explained that the family doctor builds a lasting relationship with his patients, marked by trust and proximity, and by focusing more on the prevention than in treatment.

“We are still dealing with a curative method instead of betting on preventing the diseases”, he stressed, having advised the reinforcement for health education in order to prevent diseases that can be avoided with routine medical visits.

Family and Community Medicine (FCM) is a clinical specialty that develops health promotion, protection and recovery practices aimed at people, families and communities.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)