Frequently asked questions about family medicine in India

Family medicine (FM) is an independent and distinct medical specialty in the developed countries such as USA, UK, Australia, and Canada since 1960s. FM teaching is imparted at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in countries such as Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Family practice is the practicing vocation of the majority doctors in India. The practitioners of FM include general practitioners, family physicians, FM specialists, and medical officers in the public sector. Medical students are largely unaware about FM career as this concept is not introduced at MBBS level. Faculty and senior doctors from other disciplines are also not able to answer the queries related to FM as they themselves also have gone through the same education system for last three decades, largely unexposed to the concept of academic family medicine. This article is a compilation of frequently asked questions, and their appropriate responses, presented here to dispel myths and misinformation about FM specialty. The answers are deliberated upon by Dr. Raman Kumar the founder president of the Academy of Family Physicians of India and the chief editor of the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. This article was originally published as an interview in Docplexus, a popular online network and website for medical doctors in November 2015.