Dear Congress Participants,

The Second Virtual Congress of General Practice/Family Medicine begins today. The task is once again a challenge, that we aim to overcome with scientific quality, innovation and Ethics, the most precious Good that I know in the Art of Medicine.

I became addicted to this project, because of the challenge of organizing the first ever Virtual Congress. The inherited know-how was key to organizing this second Virtual Congress with less anxiety. The invitation of the Portuguese Association of General Practitioners to preside to this Congress was the decisive trigger for my commitment in this logical sequel of the First Virtual Congress.It was a challenge that I accepted in the primacy of science for science, rejecting exaggerations of militancy.

All the reasons have a very special meaning for someone who throws himself into this kind of adventures. I must not forget that my colleague and friend, Dr José João Mendonça, a GP trainer, had told me that during a Spring day this year he had used a lot of references material and material from the First Virtual Congress.

Please forgive me for a certain degree narcisism and vanity, but I consider that the Virtual Congress is one of the most aggregating events of global General Practice, because of the peculiar features inherent to the fact that it takes place on a global platform. That is the meaning that I intended to increment, those are the values that guide me...

I would thus like to welcome everyone to this Second edition, and I sincerely believe that we are already part of the history of global General Practice. This edition will naturally have its sequels, that will be boosted by the spirit of change, of continuity, of complementarity, of empowerment, of professionals and patients, which are all signs of the transversal nature of the specialty of General Practice/Family Medicine, the cornerstone of any healthcare system in many countries. And we're not talking of a young specialty. In Portugal, many generations of professionals work alongside each other, working towards strengthening and stabilizing the pillars that underpin the specialty. And this is the union in a context of continuity, that can guide Governments, Professional Associations, Associations, Syndicates, in the sense that reforms are not made against professionals, but are made by cherishing them and giving them conditions on the ground to make ends meet – that is, to relieve suffering, to avoid and treat disease, and to rehabilitate patients.

This mixture of generations is permanently being put to the test – the struggle against the first pandemic of their clinical lives. I'm talking about H1N1v virus flu. It is a challenge, with several predictable scenarios, even though its severity is controversial. And to that challenge, I am sure we will come up with a global response. I would like it to be one of the main discussion topics in the forums of the congress, where professionals from both hemispheres, from all latitudes and longitudes, may share experiences and contribute with their wisdom, thus enabling a specific empowerment.

I won't extend my speech much further, but I would like to thank the Vice President of the Virtual Congress, Dr. Luís Pisco, the President of the Scientific Committee, Dr. Sebnem Bilgen, the Coordinator of the Organizing Committee, Dr. Alexandre Gouveia, Dr. João Pereira (IT Committee), and all the members of the various committees, for their more than proven dedication, that made possible this second edition of the Virtual Congress. Thank you very much.

I'd still like to extend my acknowledgments to the members of the International Advisory Board, which have been a fundamental piece of advisory and collaboration in this Second Virtual Congress. They represent for us an asset as well as a stimulus.