Workforce issues of general practice in a developing country: Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Pakistan is a developing country that has a double burden of communicable and non-communicable disease. Healthcare reform is required to combat these prevailing healthcare issues with the 'family medicine approach' to primary care. Developing a workforce of trained general practitioners (GPs) to implement this approach is essential but challenging, yet there are success stories not only from developed countries but also from a few developing countries. OBJECTIVE: General practice is a specialty that has been recognised only recently in Pakistan. This article reviews the challenges of developing a workforce of trained GPs for primary care and proposes solutions to address the gap. DISCUSSION: Involving all stakeholders and organisations related to the specialty of general practice, integrating the subject of family medicine at an undergraduate level and encouraging postgraduate training and capacity-building through on-the-job training of GPs working in rural and urban primary care are all essential to develop a workforce of trained GPs in Pakistan. At the same time, standardisation and accreditation of primary care sites for training and research through public-private partnership are recommended.