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It is heartening to read Health Minister Ong Ye Kung’s speech on the measures to strengthen primary care services in Singapore ( y, Aug 22). The reshaping of medical education with greater emphasis on family medicine and preventive medicine is commendable and a big positive step. Every doctor should be regarded with equal importance and value. Family medicine (FM) has long been recognised as a speciality. The College of General Practitioners, established in 1971 at the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, was later renamed the College of Family Medicine. This renaming underscores that FM physicians are specialists who have undergone rigorous training to develop the competencies essential to their practice. As primary care specialists, they fill an important niche in healthcare, offering complementary, yet distinct services from those provided by specialists in secondary or tertiary care. Single-doctor clinics have their place in the community, even with advancements in the healthcare system. Many patients have and will continue to benefit from such practices. With an ageing population, strong, long-term patient-doctor (family physician) relationships ensure continuous care for both individuals and their families. In this context, the College of Family Medicine should take a more inclusive approach towards continuing medical education (CME) for practising doctors. Currently, many teaching sessions on topics and areas of medicine relevant to family medicine are not being accepted as part of the learning and training of family physicians, hence not awarded CME core points. Given the unique responsibility of family medicine doctors towards patients, families and the community, a wider range of CME sessions should be encouraged and be eligible for CME core points. Perhaps the college should consider reviewing its CME policy to align with Singapore’s evolving approach to specialist training and the expanding role of family physicians.