Middle East
The Middle East possesses great variation both in the presence of family medicine altogether, as well as its implementation and history. Regarding training, most countries that possess a family medicine program require 6 years of medical school after high school, (followed by a 1 year internship for many countries), and then a 4-year family medicine residency program. With that being said, there is still great variation in these Arabic-speaking countries, both between countries and within them. Many countries still do not have any formal postgraduate training for family doctors, such as Afghanistan and Yemen. Other countries, despite establishing their programs decades ago, remain stratified and limited in quality and quantity (Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Israel). Other countries have developed and implemented their training programs within the last 10-20 years and are slowly growing (Palestine and Iran). Ultimately, primary care—particularly family medicine—is very much present in the Middle East. However, many countries remain limited in funding and acting through this department. This may be linked to the small role that these doctors seem to play. Most of these countries lack a referral system, meaning family doctors do not act as gatekeepers. The ability for patients to directly reach any specialist of their choosing may increase patient satisfaction, but leaves many family doctors upset, as their responsibilities are minimized. Moreover, this may waste precious time and resources; a robust primary care system prevents diseases and brings health to patients upstream in the development of most illnesses. Very little was found on Algeria and Morocco, which are part of North Africa.