{"id":20893,"date":"2026-07-31T10:33:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/sessions\/empowering-municipal-health-the-role-of-family-doctors-in-leading-local-health-departments\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:33:29","slug":"empowering-municipal-health-the-role-of-family-doctors-in-leading-local-health-departments","status":"publish","type":"wsa_session","link":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/sessions\/empowering-municipal-health-the-role-of-family-doctors-in-leading-local-health-departments\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Municipal Health: The Role of Family Doctors in Leading Local Health Departments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Municipalities are increasingly recognised as key players in promoting public health and wellbeing. However, integrated approaches that bridge primary care and local governance remain limited. Family doctors, with their comprehensive clinical expertise and deep community ties, are uniquely positioned to lead transformative health strategies at the municipal level. We propose the creation of dedicated Municipal Health Departments in every local council, led by a family doctor. These departments would coordinate health promotion, disease prevention, and community engagement initiatives, working in collaboration with primary care teams, local authorities, and community organisations. The family doctor leader would ensure that health policies are truly patient-centred, evidence-based, and adapted to local needs.Expected Outcomes: This model aims to improve population health indicators, increase health equity, and foster more resilient communities. By placing family doctors at the helm, municipalities can better address local health challenges, respond rapidly to emerging issues, and strengthen the link between healthcare and other social determinants.Melhoria dos indicadores de sa\u00fade p\u00fablica ao n\u00edvel local, com redu\u00e7\u00e3o da incid\u00eancia de doen\u00e7as evit\u00e1veis e promo\u00e7\u00e3o de estilos de vida saud\u00e1veis. Maior equidade no acesso aos cuidados de sa\u00fade, especialmente em popula\u00e7\u00f5es vulner\u00e1veis ou desfavorecidas. Fortalecimento da resposta a emerg\u00eancias de sa\u00fade p\u00fablica, como surtos, atrav\u00e9s de uma coordena\u00e7\u00e3o mais \u00e1gil e pr\u00f3xima da comunidade. Aumento da literacia em sa\u00fade e do envolvimento dos cidad\u00e3os em decis\u00f5es relacionadas com o bem-estar do munic\u00edpio. Cria\u00e7\u00e3o de sinergias entre os servi\u00e7os de sa\u00fade, autarquias e organiza\u00e7\u00f5es comunit\u00e1rias, potenciando interven\u00e7\u00f5es mais eficazes e sustent\u00e1veis.The active involvement of family doctors in leading these structures may promote policies that are better tailored to the real needs of the population and strengthen the integration of primary care with municipal health strategies. This model may also help to enhance the role of the family doctor, increasing their participation in strategic decision-making and raising their visibility within the community and among policymakers.Implementing Municipal Health Departments led by family doctors represents a bold step towards integrated, community-driven healthcare. This project offers a scalable blueprint for municipalities across Europe to enhance health governance and empower family doctors as agents of change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-20893","wsa_session","type-wsa_session","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session\/20893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wsa_session"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}