Introduction

Family physicians play a central role in the Primary Health Care (PHC) system of a country. They essentially provide preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative health care to individuals and communities, regardless of age, gender, organ, disease and system involved. Barbara Starfield and colleagues in their multi-country study, provided evidence that the health outcome indicators are significantly better with relatively less cost, in countries where trained Family Physicians play a central role in the health care system. According to an estimate, among South Asian countries at least 70-80% of medical care is being provided by medical graduates (commonly referred to as “general practitioners”) (GPs), without a postgraduate qualification in Family Medicine. This situation demands a two-pronged approach; to train fresh medical graduates as family medicine specialists and provide flexible on-the-job training options for practicing GPs in the community.

Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) is an advocate of community and primary health care. Capacity building in family medicine and public health is a mandate of the Indus College of Family Medicine and Public Health. In order to enhance the quality of basic healthcare in the country, besides training for MCPS and FCPS, IHHN also provides distant, hybrid learning to GPs through a 1-year certificate course in Family Medicine.

Indus College of Family Medicine and Public Health is now initiating a 2 years structured training program, both full-time and flexible, accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) UK. After completion of training the candidate shall be eligible to take the membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners South Asia International (MRCGP international) exam, which is recognized by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.

Program Objective

This course has been designed to upgrade and update the evidence-based knowledge, clinical skills and professional attributes of newly qualified doctors, as well as established primary care doctors and general practitioners so that they are able to practice as independent and competent Family Physicians.

Scope Of Practice

At the end of this training, a trained family physician should be able to:

• Obtain pertinent history, perform proper physical examination, and arrive at a provisional diagnosis.
• To order appropriate investigations, interpret the results and provide patient-centered comprehensive treatment for common diseases and health problems.
• Effectively deal with uncertain clinical conditions and make safe decisions for patients.
• Identify potentially serious clinical conditions and arrange appropriate referral after initial management, if needed.
• Prevent illnesses and promote health in addition to medical management of diseases/problems.
• Apply a bio-psycho-social model of health care in his / her practice with a person-centered approach.
• Practice within ethical and professional boundaries.
• Communicate well with patients, colleagues and other health professionals.
• Promote a teamwork approach with appropriate leadership skills.
• Pursue self-directed lifelong learning and continuous professional development.