: The Punjab government has introduced a six-month Certificate in Family Medicine program for general practitioners (GPs) to strengthen primary healthcare and reduce pressure on the province’s major teaching hospitals.
The initiative was launched through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the University of Health Sciences (UHS) and the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC). Under the agreement, both organizations will collaborate to improve healthcare services by enhancing the skills of family physicians across Punjab.
The six-month certification course will provide GPs with modern, evidence-based clinical training to improve patient care. Doctors enrolled in the program will receive practical instruction in patient safety, clinical governance, and evidence-based treatment practices to help raise healthcare standards.
UHS Vice Chancellor Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore said the hands-on training will take place at UHS-affiliated teaching hospitals and approved training centers throughout Punjab. The curriculum will also include internationally recognized certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), trauma management, emergency medicine, newborn care, and maternal healthcare.
Doctors who successfully complete the course will receive an official Certificate in Family Medicine from the University of Health Sciences.
Professor Rathore added that the Punjab Healthcare Commission will support the program by promoting quality healthcare, patient safety, infection prevention and control, and trainer development. He said better-trained family physicians would improve community healthcare while reducing the patient burden on tertiary-care hospitals.
Health experts have welcomed the initiative, saying it will strengthen Punjab’s frontline medical workforce, improve access to quality healthcare, enhance patient safety, and reinforce the province’s primary healthcare system.
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