Family medicine in Belgium - practical solutions for South Africa : special series

Abstract

In December 2004, five representatives from family medicine departments in South Africa were invited to benchmark with ICHO, the family physicians' organization in Flanders, Belgium in the framework of the VLIR Own Initiatives program (2003). This experience and its meaning for practical solutions in the South African context are spelt out in a series of five articles. The first will give an overview of the country, its history and health system. The second article will concentrate on the Flemish model for training family physicians and the third will elaborate upon the educational system which is in place. In the fourth article, a particularly interesting concept, the learning plan, will be dealt with and in article five the evaluation system is discussed. The purpose of this series is to stimulate debate in South Africa at a time where the new registrar training is imminent and ideas are still fluid. The essence of the debate should be to encourage good principles and practices experienced in other countries, to take root within a South African context.