Family Practice Program - Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization

Introduction:
International evidence indicates that health systems based on effective primary care, with highly trained
family doctors practicing in the community, deliver care that is both cost-effective and achieves high
levels of professional responsibility of doctors to provide a high standard of care. 1,2
Published studies suggest that vocationally trained GPs are better in terms of the quality of patient care,
confidence and self-perception as GPs as well as in knowledge, practice skills and attitudes. 3,4,5,6,7,8
Family Practice is a key element of all health care systems in Kuwait, and is recognized by health service
providers as being of ever increasing importance.
Kuwait is considered as one of the pioneers in the Middle East region to introduce the concept of job
description for the family practitioner and to realize the necessity of vocational training programme for his
preparation. 9
Kuwait Institute for Medical specializations (KIMS) started the Family Practice Specialty Training
Programme to train family physicians in 1983. 10
The residency programme in family medicine provides supervised learning opportunities and clinical
experience in both hospital and family practice.
In 1987 the first batch of family physicians graduated from the programme.
An examination and passing diploma certificate equivalent to that of the Membership of the Royal College
of General Practitioners examination was issued by the Royal College of General Practitioners In 1991.
These were important factors leading to increasing choice of family medicine as a career by Kuwaiti
medical school graduates.
In 2000, the programme duration changed from 3 to 4 years, and in 2002 a system was developed for
enhanced evaluations and assessment of trainees 11. An accreditation was awarded to the graduation
certificate as MRCGP(INT) in 2005.
The trend that emerges when reviewing the selection of specialties for postgraduate training and
qualification during previous 4 years is that Family Medicine is preferred among the training programmes
conducted locally. 12
4