Family Medicine in low income countries.
What does WHIG want to do for support?
Family Medicine in low income countries is becoming an accepted specialty. The necessity of an adequately trained generalist doctor is well established.
A quintessential document is the WONCA Statement of consensus on Family Medicine in Africa
WHIG wants to contribute to the development of FM in low income countries.
Means are:
1. Being a platform for those GPs who are active in the exchange of expertise and are willing to contribute to this.
2. Offering expertise on FM for capacity building in FM-training sites. E.g. support FM-training in Eldoret (read the executive summary of the Kenyan Family Medicine strategy for the Kenyan Ministry of Health). See also The 'Peter Manschot fund' for activities they fund.
3. Facilitate the exchange of young doctors. We help Dutch trainees in FM and GPs to increase their knowledge on global diseases (import diseases).
4. Contribute to the FM-orientation of those doctors who want to work in a low resource country.
5. Contribute to the FM-orientation of those doctors/ MO's who have to do compulsary service in their country. See also Medicus Tropicus sept 2010 48-3
5. Contribute in research and publication on the subject.
A very convincing plea for the generalist approach is the evidence presented by Barbara Starfield: Click for her powerpoint lecture on ppstarfield
