Marking Arab Family Day coinciding annually on December 8th, SCFA organized a lecture titled "Family Medicine: Reality and Aspiration" on Sunday, December 9th2007 at the Marriott Hotel. The lecture, delivered by Dr Khalid Ibrahim Al-Badr, Family Doctor and General Medicine Doctors Director at the Primary Health Care Directorate in Hamad Medical Corporation, was attended by a number of persons interested in health issues

Dr Al-Badr defined the family medicine concept as being a specialization based on health, behavioral and social sciences and is embodied in the comprehensive and continuous health care with concentration on the individual within the family framework as a social unit without restrictions by gender, age or type of illness

Dr Al-Badr indicated that family medicine specialization in Qatar which started in October 1994, reflects the huge progress witnessed by the health services sector in the State

Dr Al-Badr stated that the family doctor's functions were therapeutic, as the family doctor provides therapeutic services to acute, sudden and chronic illnesses for all the family members of both sexes and all age groups, taking into consideration the impacts resulting and affecting the family and the individual, bodily, physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. Likewise, the family doctor refers and follows up the cases that require hospitalization services, such as emergency, clinical and diagnostic services. Besides, the family doctor has a consultative, instructive and therapeutic job for the family, as well as coordinating and following-up and administrative function, in addition to the strategic planning job to develop general health services and family medicine, especially family medical care of women, motherhood, childhood, youth and the elderly