Primary Care Training: A Global Perspective

Abstract

Thirty years ago, the Alma-Ata Conference mobilized a ‘primary health care movement’ to tackle health inequalities in all countries. In 2008, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reiterated the need for strong primary care in its report: ‘Primary Health Care — Now More Than Ever’. However, before we can achieve ‘a GP for every person in the world’ ( Heath, 2008 ), we need to have general practice training schemes in every country in the world. Currently, even in Europe, general practice is not recognised as a specialty in every country, and GP training varies considerably. Global differences in GP training are also important to understand given that more than one in three doctors registered in the UK has trained abroad. Examples of poor practice have raised concerns about differences in postgraduate training in different countries. This has led to recent calls from the General Medical Council (GMC) for more support and a basic induction programme for overseas doctors coming to the UK. In this article, we will discuss similarities and differences in GP training globally and discuss opportunities for UK GP trainees to experience primary care training in another country.