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Forum: Significant strides made in the area of family medicine

We thank Dr Ho Ting Fei for her letter and her strong support for primary care in Singapore (

We thank Dr Ho Ting Fei for her letter and her strong support for primary care in Singapore ( , Aug 28). We would like to clarify her points regarding the history and recognition of family medicine in Singapore. The College of Family Physicians Singapore (CFPS) was established independently in 1971 by a dedicated group of family doctors, separate from the Academy of Medicine. It was initially called the College of General Practitioners Singapore, and then renamed in 1993 to reflect the evolution and growing recognition of family medicine as a vital and distinct discipline. At present, the Specialists Accreditation Board of the Singapore Medical Council has yet to recognise family medicine as a speciality discipline. We recently hosted the World Organisation of Family Doctors regional conference (Wonca APR 2024) and were thrilled when the Health Minister announced to our 1,300 delegates that the Ministry of Health is working with the fraternity towards recognising family medicine as a speciality. This development is a testament to the significant strides our primary care colleagues have made in the training and professional development of family medicine, and the essential role family medicine plays in the healthcare landscape. CFPS is committed to nurturing generations of family physicians through advocacy, education and innovation. Our mission is to uphold the standards of family medicine, ensuring that our patients receive the highest quality of care. CFPS has been heavily involved in the vocational training and continuing professional development of family physicians since its inception. Our training programmes include the Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine programme, the Master of Medicine in Family Medicine programme, and the Fellowship by Assessment programme. We continue to provide continuing medical education (CME) for our members and doctors in primary care, and we are the accreditation centre for core points for family medicine and mandatory medical ethics. We always welcome external parties who organise CME activities to approach the CFPS and to work with us to provide accredited core CME points in family medicine.