We thank Dr Desmond Wai for his letter (Family doctor to treat all ailments? They'll need more training; Sept 9).

Since the early 1970s, the College of Family Physicians Singapore (CFPS) has been running postgraduate training programmes for family physicians, such as the Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine, the Master of Medicine (Family Medicine), and the Fellowship in the College of Family Physicians Singapore (also known as the Advanced Speciality Training Programme in Family Medicine).

These courses are rigorous in their content, as well as in their final assessments by the National University of Singapore and the CFPS.

Upon qualification, the successful candidate is eligible to be instated to the Family Physician Register. To date, over 1,700 family physicians are on the register.

We strongly believe that postgraduate family medicine training will better equip these doctors with the ability to manage and coordinate care for a wide range of conditions in their patients across all ages.

Family physicians have cared for many of their patients for years and know them very well.

These long-term and close doctor-patient relationships are key to good healthcare.

With the ageing population and increasing chronic disease burden, well-trained family physicians are well placed to make a significant positive impact on the health of our nation.

Tan Tze Lee (Adj Asst Prof)

President

College of Family Physicians Singapore