To support the strengthening of family medicine in central Asian countries, WHO/Europe will convene a technical workshop for key country-level stakeholders involved in primary health-care governance and health workforce development in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Why the need?
Most central Asian countries have introduced family medicine (composed of health professionals typically called family physicians or general practitioners) within primary health-care systems and medical education programmes as part of their health reforms.
However, the transition from specialist-driven to generalist-driven care has been challenging. Generalists do not always enjoy the same status as specialists among their peers, and patients have a historical preference for specialist care. As a result, medical students are insufficiently attracted to the profession. This leads to shortages and high attrition of this important profession, and subsequent access gaps.
Purpose
The workshop will look closely at successful approaches to strengthening family medicine across the WHO European Region and provide a platform to exchange experiences on enhancing its prestige.
Content
The event will situate the importance of family medicine in the context of changing health needs and primary health-care models. It will address:
- approaches to the training and specialization of family doctors, and systems for professional development and continuing medical education;
- reforms to the medical education of new family doctors;
- differences in scope of practice, certification, licensing and incentive structures;
- policies developed to improve doctor availability, including strategies for rural retention; and
- implementation barriers to recognizing family medicine as the core of primary health care, a view now embraced by both public and medical societies.
Outcomes
Following the workshop, WHO/Europe will coordinate the development of a community of practice on family medicine in central Asian countries, and a technical report comparing different approaches to strengthening family medicine in the Region. This will help to identify areas where WHO can provide technical support to further strengthen family medicine in central Asia.