ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 347
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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Advocacy to act: Inclusion of family medicine in the
National Medical Commission Act 2019, India
Dr Raman Kumar1
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National President, Academy of Family Physicians of India, 2Director, Institute of Family Medicine and
Primary Care, 3Chief Editor, Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4Past President (2018–20)
WONCA SAR
The Academy of Family Physicians of India (AFPI), is a non-profit organisation registered in New
Delhi with a membership base spread all over India. AFPI is working towards establishing a distinct
academic discipline, ‘family medicine’, for doctors pursuing primary care vocation within the
mainstream medical education system in India. AFPI adopted a multipronged approach engaging
political leadership, bureaucracy, higher judiciary and other stakeholders. Starting in 2009, a series
of applications was filed with regard to the family medicine discipline under RTI – Right to Information
Act. The information received was disseminated for raising awareness about the declining trend of
family physicians in India. In 2018, a public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court of India.
In pursuance of the Supreme Court of India order, AFPI approached the ministry and the Medical
Council of India. In 2018, AFPI received written assurance from the Prime Minister’s Office that the
family medicine discipline would be addressed in the NMC bill. Earlier family medicine was mentioned
only as part of the National Health Policies (NHP 2002 and NHP 2017) and finally, it has become part
of the act, the National Medical Commission Act 2019. Not it is a mandate for the National Medical
Commission the principal medical education regulator to implement family medicine education across
India at 650 medical colleges.
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