With nearly five million patient visits in 2025, the Family Doctor and Nurse Program in Las Tunas is currently focused on continuing to adapt its approaches to the real needs of the communities.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Forty-two years after its founding, the impact of this program ensures the continued operation of polyclinics and medical offices as fundamental units of the National Health System, the first link in the chain of health services.

Janier Bahi Fonseca, drawing on his expertise in Primary Health Care (PHC) in Las Tunas, explained that the program has not been without difficulties that limit the quality of care provided to the population; thus, they strive to resolve these issues.

“We have failed to strengthen the foundational concepts needed to address the health challenges posed by the current times. At the same time, we have been hit by a shortage of available resources in the medical offices,” explained the doctor.

“There is also a need for greater mastery of the program’s guiding documents by sector staff, which will translate into higher-quality care for the people of Las Tunas.”

With an eye toward greater impact on the community, Bahi Fonseca asserts that their challenge is to revive the foundational concepts of the Family Doctor and Nurse Program and shift the perspective: moving from looking for problems in the clinic to understanding what is happening, why standards are not being met, or why quality care is not being provided.

Currently, they are focused on addressing vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children, and the elderly with the quality demanded by established protocols.

“We cannot provide public health services if we don’t know the state of family medical clinics. The clinic is the one that manages and sets the standards. If we go to inspect a clinic and that doctor, once you leave, hasn’t grasped the tools of the trade, they’re lost, and the entire process fails. We cannot afford that luxury,” he emphasized.

To achieve better results, the General Directorate of Health plans to make visits to medical offices the central focus of its management, thereby strengthening training and support for family doctors.