[The profile and number of primary care physicians required in Chile]

Medical schools curricular planning aim to obtain a physician trained to work as general practitioner and the Chilean health reform, considers ambulatory primary care as the main axis of health care. However there is still a low interest among physicians to work in primary health care, where there are problems related to a low level of clinical resolution, clinical and administrative management deficiencies and a low level of leadership in health promotion. The causes of these deficiencies stem from university training, government policies and the great attraction that exerts the technological and specialized model of secondary and tertiary health care. We analyze the ideal profüe that the general practitioner should have in our health care system and the possible solutions to primary health care problems. We also emphasize the need to coordinate the professional resource needs with university training, to reduce the existing gaps between medical training and professional practice.