Postgraduate family medicine training in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Family medicine is a medical discipline that has been recognised globally for nearly six decades. Postgraduate family medicine training was introduced more recently in Southeast Asia. This article presents the characteristics of postgraduate family medicine training in eight Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The duration of training varies across countries and programmes within each country, ranging from 1 to 5 years. Completion of training leads to qualifications such as master's degree, diploma or certificate. Some countries also offer further training following postgraduate family medicine training, classified into two types: capacity-based training (e.g. family medicine fellowship) and discipline-based training (e.g. palliative care fellowship). The increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and the ageing population as well as the shortage of family physicians are significant concerns and challenges that influence postgraduate family medicine training in Southeast Asia.

Keywords: Family practice; Graduate medical education; Medicine; Southeast Asia.