Global Challenges in CME/CPD: The Singapore Perspective

摘要

Singapore is a small city-state in -an island off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It has a population of 4.5 million, of whom 1 million are expatriates. Most of our doctors are trained either in Singapore or in the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, or the United States. Our main language of communication in medicine as well as in the community is English. The standard of medical practice in Singapore is comparable to that of first-world countries. Singapore serves as a medical hub for Southeast Asia, as well as for many countries in Asia and the Middle East.It is noteworthy that Singapore is one of very few countries in Asia with compulsory continuing medical education (CME)/continuing professional development (CPD). The following is a summary of how CME began in Singapore. A soft launch for CME was made in 1989. A more formal system of voluntary CME began in 1993. This was done with the intention of allowing doctors to familiarize themselves with the concept of CME. Ten years later, in January 2003, CME was made compulsory. There was some initial resistance to this move, especially from doctors in private solo practices. The Singapore Medical Council (SMC) met them and convinced them through dialogue sessions that there would be ample opportunities for them to achieve their CME requirements and also emphasized the need for self-regulation and gaining the trust of the patients with continuous upgrading of knowledge and skills.