Tina Tan
This issue may read like a clash of civilisations to some, with its dual focus on family medicine and generalists, and contributions by other authors on specialty/subspecialty fellowship training (the ubiquitous Health Manpower Development Plan [HMDP]). Of note, I draw readers' attention to the reprint of SMA's letter to the Director of Medical Services A/Prof Benjamin Ong, which sought to clarify the many questions raised with the Ministry of Health's (MOH) call for generalists. Perhaps our Indulge article sums it up best – there is no star rower in the crew boat. Whether we consider ourselves generalists or specialists, each of us has unique skill sets to bring to the table. We also have our own limitations. We need to acknowledge this and work together cohesively, because that is what will ultimately benefit our patients.
In other news, we've reprinted SMA's letter to MOH (and their reply to us) to highlight allegations against our profession made by a local newspaper correspondent, which have generated some understandable negative responses on the ground because of the seriousness of certain statements made. I think I represent the profession when I state my sincere hope that such allegations are not made in the future and that facts are properly verified before publication (#factcheck).
With that bit of food for thought, enjoy.
Jayant V Iyer
This month's edition of the SMA News is a potpourri of articles that touch on some existential questions facing doctors in Singapore these days.
What does it mean to be a generalist in a specialist world? What does the current ministry-directed generalist shift mean for our younger colleagues and those in training? How is it like working in "GP-land"? For those of us in pursuit of subspecialist expertise, how do we go about choosing the ideal fellowship? And how useful has the HMDP actually been?
Some of the articles aim to provide answers to these questions, while others will probably raise more questions. With that, we hope you will enjoy this issue!