General practitioners and work in the Third World

In recent years the number of general practitioners who have worked in the third world before entering general practice has fallen. The reasons for this are not clear but may include worries about future career prospects. Ninety four doctors who had entered general practice since 1984, after previously working in the third world, completed a questionnaire about their career experience and views about the value of such work. They were generally widely experienced and well-qualified and work abroad had not apparently harmed their careers, rather, many believed it had enhanced it. Work in the usually arduous conditions of poor countries was often considered by the respondents to lead to a wider perspective, increased maturity, confidence, self-reliance, adaptability and initiative. Doctors who are interested and suitable for work in the third world prior to entering general practice should be encouraged to pursue this possibility.