Bengaluru : Clinikk, Bengaluru based healthtech company, launches a Family Physician training program led by Dr. Kamlesh Bhargava MD FRCGP [INT] [Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (International)] to mark the occasion of World Family Doctor Day on May 19, 2022. The curriculum has been designed with an aim to bolster skills and expertise required to become a proficient Family Physician to lead primary health care delivery in India.

The curriculum has been curated for General Physicians working in Clinikk, which provides primary healthcare services through its primary healthcare centers called Clinikk Health Hubs and through tele-consultation. The program has been developed after a thorough need assessment of the doctors working at Clinikk. For primary healthcare to be holistic, it’s important that all primary care providers are trained in family medicine as it’s a step-up and crucial in delivering end-to-end primary care for the entire family comprising senior citizens, adults and children. The course aims to make primary healthcare delivery more comprehensive at Clinikk Health Hubs and prepare Clinikk doctors for national and international exams in family medicine like the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP, INT).

Speaking on the program Dr Suraj Baliga, Co-Founder, Clinikk Healthcare shares “Family Physicians are the very backbone of healthcare requirements of a family. A strong and robust layer of effective primary healthcare landscape will address over 80% of medical issues at the grassroot level. This is why primary healthcare is integral to our integrated healthcare vision and mission and this program will help us upskill our doctors and build a network of practitioners who are competent, compassionate and confident caregivers.”

The course in association with Dr. Kamlesh Bhargava has been defined around the key recommendations of  WONCA (World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians), which is the world organization for Family Doctors.

Speaking on the association, Dr. Kamlesh Bhargava MD FRCGP [INT] highlights “Healthcare has changed post the pandemic. Individuals have realized the importance of good health and preventive care, and also the importance of having a family doctor. Family physicians are the gatekeepers to specialized care  as they are an important preventive layer that can help with screening and early detection and nip majority of health problems without advanced intervention.”

He further adds that Clinikk’s proactive adoption of technology to solve problems in healthcare is why he chose to partner with the company to develop the course. “Clinikk wants to build a strong primary care layer with the interface of technology and so a course like this becomes very relevant where on the one hand technology is able to offer solutions to reach the last mile, and on the other the doctors at Clinikk are trained to upgrade their skills,” he says.

The curriculum, structure, training and implementation, are structured around the core competencies of medical knowledge including patient-centered care, ethical practice, professionalism, information mastery, evidence-based practice, protocol-based care, self-directed learning, continuity of care as well as teamwork. The course will run for a duration of 24 months.