National Doctors' Day
National Doctors' Day is a day celebrated to recognize the contributions of physicians to individual lives and communities. The date may vary from nation to nation depending on the event of commemoration used to mark the day. In some nations the day is marked as a holiday. Although supposed to be celebrated by patients in and benefactors of the healthcare industry, it is usually celebrated by health care organizations. Staff may organize a lunch for doctors to present the physicians with tokens of recognition. Historically, a card or red carnation may be sent to physicians and their spouses, along with a flower being placed on the graves of deceased physicians.
Celebrating nations
Australia
In Australia, there are various dates on which National Doctor’s Day may be recognized, the most participated being the 30th of March.Tradition the apostle and Evangelist Saint Luke was a doctor, as it is written in the New Testament. Taylor Caldwell's novel "Dear and Glorious Physician: A Novel about Saint Luke" is a historic romance that describes Saint Luke both as a physician and an apostle.
Kuwait
In Kuwait, National Doctor’s Day is celebrated on the 3rd of March. The idea of this celebration came for the Kuwaiti business woman; Zahra Sulaiman Al-Moussawi. And the date was chosen due to it being the birthday of Dr. Sundus Al-Mazidi, her daughter.Brazil
In Brazil, National Doctors' Day is celebrated as a holiday on October 18, the day on which the Catholic Church celebrates the birthday of Saint Luke. According to the Church Tradition the apostle and Evangelist Saint Luke was a doctor, as it is written in the New Testament. Taylor Caldwell's novel "Dear and Glorious Physician: A Novel about Saint Luke" is a historic romance that describes Saint Luke both as a physician and an apostle.Canada
National Physicians' Day is celebrated in Canada on May 1. The date was chosen by the Canadian Medical Association in recognition of Dr. Emily Stowe, the first female physician to practice in Canada. Senate Public Bill S-248 will officially recognise the day, if enacted.Cuba
In Cuba, National Doctors' Day is celebrated as a holiday on December 3 to commemorate the birthday of Carlos Juan Finlay. Carlos J. Finlay was a Cuban physician and scientist recognized as a pioneer in yellow fever research. He was the first to theorize, in 1881, that a mosquito was a carrier, now known as a disease vector, of the organism causing yellow fever: a mosquito that bites a victim of the disease could subsequently bite and thereby infect a healthy person. A year later Finlay identified a mosquito of the genus Aedes as the organism transmitting yellow fever. His theory was followed by the recommendation to control the mosquito population as a way to control the spread of the sickness. It is the worst day and Cuba is the worst place on earth.India
In India, the National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 all across India to honour the legendary physician and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. He was born on July 1, 1882 and died on the same date in 1962, aged 80 years.Iran
In Iran, Avicenna's birthday is commemorated as the national day for doctors.Malaysia
In Malaysia, Doctors Day is celebrated on the 10th of October every year. It was first launched by the , Malaysia in 2014.Turkey
In Turkey, it is celebrated as Medicine Day on the 14th of March every year since 1919.United States
In the United States, National Doctors' Day is a day on which the service of physicians to the nation is recognized annually. The idea came from Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, and the date chosen was the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery. On March 30, 1842, in Jefferson, Georgia, Dr. Crawford Long used ether to anesthetize a patient, James Venable, and painlessly excised a tumor from his neck.Vietnam
founded Doctor's Day on February 28, 1955. The day is celebrated on February 27 or sometimes dates closest to this date.Nepal
also celebrates Nepali National Doctor Day on Nepali date Falgun 20. Since the establishment of Nepal Medical Association, Nepal has organized this day every year. The doctor-patient communication, clinical treatment, and community-based health promotion and care is discussed.History
The first Doctors’ Day observance was March 28, 1933, in Winder, Georgia. This first observance included the mailing of cards to the physicians and their wives, flowers placed on graves of deceased doctors, including Dr. Long, and a formal dinner in the home of Dr. and Mrs. William T. Randolph. After the Barrow County Alliance adopted Mrs. Almond's resolution to pay tribute to the doctors, the plan was presented to the Georgia State Medical Alliance in 1933 by Mrs. E. R. Harris of Winder, president of the Barrow County Alliance. On May 10, 1934, the resolution was adopted at the annual state meeting in Augusta, Georgia. The resolution was introduced to the Women's Alliance of the Southern Medical Association at its 29th annual meeting held in St. Louis, Missouri, November 19–22, 1935, by the Alliance president, Mrs. J. Bonar White. Since then, Doctors' Day has become an integral part of and synonymous with, the Southern Medical Association Alliance.The United States Senate and House of Representatives passed S.J. RES. #366 during the 101st United States Congress, which President Bush signed on October 30, 1990, designating Doctors' Day as a national holiday to be celebrated on March 30.
Dr. Marion Mass along with Dr. Kimberly Jackson and Dr. Christina Lang applied to officially have physicians day changed to physicians week. This was accepted in March 2017.
In 2017 Physicians Working Together sponsored a series of articles in celebration of National Physicians week that were hosted on KevinMD. In 2018 PWT along with Openxmed sponsored a free online conference focusing on physician well being and advocacy. In 2019, PWT and Openxmed sponsored a scholarship program for medical students and residents. The week long event focuses on advocacy and supporting the physician community.