The following countries require a Residency in Family Medicine as the formal post-graduate training:
North America: Canada, USA,
Asia: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, China, South Korea,
Western Europe: Portugal, France (must also pass the ECN exam), Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, UK (GP residency), Ireland (GP residency), Austria, Belgium (combination with an advanced master's education), Cyprus, Greece, Spain (OTP program).
Eastern Europe: Moldova, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Italy, Malta, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Armenia, Turkey, Finland.
Middle East and Algeria/ Morocco: Kuwait, U.A.E, Egypt, Libya, Qatar, Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Palestine, Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman.
Sub Saharan Africa: Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Liberia, DR Congo.
English Speaking Caribbean: Haiti.
French North Africa: Madagascar, Mali.
Latin America: Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, Venezuela (and internship), Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Dominican Republic (and internship), Argentina, Cuba (and internship), El Salvador (based out of ministry and not-university based), Panama, Puerto Rico, Honduras.
Residency in Family Medicine
Masters of Family Medicine
The following countries require a Masters of Family Medicine as the formal post-graduate training:
Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, India, Sri Lanka.
Western Europe: Belgium, Cyprus.
Eastern Europe: Albania.
Middle East and Algeria/ Morocco: Egypt, Cyprus, Israel, Iran, Sudan (includes both a 1 year intensive Diploma and a 2 Year Masters in Science program).
Sub Saharan Africa: Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia.
English Speaking Caribbean: Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana.
French North Africa: Sudan, Tunisia.
Latin America: Guatemala
Fellowship in Family Medicine
The following countries require a Fellowship in Family Medicine as the formal post-graduate training:
India, Pakistan, Singapore.
Family Medicine/GP Apprenticeship
The following countries require a Family Medicine/GP Apprenticeship as the formal post-graduate training:
- New Zealand (GP), Australia (GP)
Mozambique, Cameroon, Niger, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Republic of the Congo, Angola, Burundi, Algeria, Iraq, Saint Kitts, Grenada, Maldives, Indonesia
No Program:
Nuances within Countries
The following countries contain more than one form of training. Some countries include more than one type of training to be mandatory. Others require certain mandatory types of training while providing additional elective forms of training. While others have interchangeable forms of training with no specific one being required, or being better than the other. The following countries at the bottom contain one of these nuances and are explained as follows:
India:
The following forms of training programs are offered in India: Residency, Masters, and a Diploma. It is not mandatory for medical school graduates to complete postgraduate training in order to practice as a family physician in India (Mash et al., 2015). The residency is a three-year program that is offered at 5 institutions.
Pakistan:
The following forms of training programs are offered in Pakistan: Residency, Fellowship, and a Membership two-year training under the college overseeing Family Physicians in Pakistan. The residency program is the formal form of training in Pakistan and is four years long. In order for one to practice here a minimum 2-year membership training is required as the minimum requirement.
Singapore:
There are a variety of programs for family medicine on a postgraduate level. In 2000, a two-year graduate diploma of Family Medicine (GDFM) was started (Wonca Europe). At the same time, the Collegiate Membership by Assessment (MCFP) and the two-year Fellowship by Assessment (FCFP) were developed by the College of Family Physician Singapore (Wonca Europe & Goh, Lee Gan, and Chooi Peng Ong, 2014). he College recognizes doctors with GDFM as certified family physicians (FP), the MCFP as Senior family physicians, and the FCFP as consultant family physicians (Wonca Europe).
Belgium:
Belgium has a residency program, with an advanced Master’s education, it requires 6 years of Medical School, and 3 years of residency in combination with an advanced Master’s education (Belgium - Medical Residency Database, n.d.).
Egypt:
The following forms of training programs are offered in Egypt: Residency or Masters. With limited information on the type of training, Egypt requires one form of training or the other in order for one to practice Family Medicine.