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From the
Editor
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Special editorial - Medicine and Society
Family medicine is a division of primary care
that provides continuing and comprehensive health
care for the individual and family across all
ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body.
It is based on knowledge of the patient in the
context of the family and the community, emphasizing
disease prevention and health promotion. According
to the World Organization of Family Doctors
(Wonca), the aim of family medicine is to provide
personal, comprehensive and continuing care
for the individual in the context of the family
and the community.
Family medicine therefore looks at the individual
in terms of family, community, geography, epidemiology,
climate and the multitude of factors that affect
the human condition - the geo-political and
socio-political landscape.
This special issue of MEJFM focuses on Medicine
and Society in the Middle East and South Asia
region (MESA), our largest readership, and the
many factors affecting the health of MESA populations
and society, from clinical and epidemiological
research, to societal problems, to care of patients
and to patient's evaluation of that care.
As conflict and diversity of opinion is also
an aspect that can affect psycho social health
in the region, we have let authors voice their
opinion if they were inclined, as a quality
society allows for freedom of speech and tolerance
of diversity of opinion as well as religion
and race.
Many societal factors contributing to poor health
cannot be readily overcome - displaced persons
(refugees), wars and factional fighting. Regional
family doctors are both picking up the pieces
of broken societies as well as positively contributing
to a brighter future for their patient populations.
We feature on our cover an article on lack of
education for Iraqi girls and the many factors
preventing them from attaining an education.
So many indicators show that education of girls
is the best way to lift the health, wealth and
happiness of any society. Tragic that so many
bright young lives, as well as their communities,
are not given a chance.
Conversely the national school feeding project
in Jordan has been highly successful in getting
poor children, boys and girls, into school as
well as contributing to better nutrition of
Jordanian school children and stands out as
a great example.
I wish all of our readers and our authors well
in these troubling times.
Lesley Pocock
Editor: Special issue on Medicine and Society
Email: lesleypocock@mediworld.com.au
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