Projects and case studies

For more information on any of the international projects, please do not hesitate to contact us on international@rcgp.org.uk.

MRCGP[INT]

We have been working internationally on the MRCGP[INT] exam accreditation programme for over 15 years now. It has been running in seven accredited sites:

  • Cyprus
  • Dubai
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Malta
  • South Asia

The College prides itself on being able to rely on the vast clinical talent of International Development Advisors and External Development Assessors. They support and work in partnership with our international partners in developing family medicine around the world.

To find out more about MRCGP[INT] please visit the international memberships page.

Brazil

Thirty-eight Senior Healthcare Professionals from UNIMED Espírito Santo in Brazil visited the RCGP in October 2017. The purpose of the visit was to conduct a study tour of the British primary healthcare system.

The tour was structured to engage the delegates with healthcare theories and systems through seminars. It facilitated first-hand experiences through tours of health facilities in the UK.

RCGP worked closely with HealthCare UK and the Department of Trade to deliver the event.

China

RCGP has enjoyed strong links with China for over ten years. We have had a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Health and Family Planning Commission, Zhejiang province since 2005, with another signed in 2014.

The agreement has seen us run both Study Tours and Introduction to Training the Trainer courses to doctors from the province.

We have also developed close ties with Shanghai. A Training Needs Analysis was provided for the Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University in October 2013.

India

RCGP has had a long involvement in working in India, with multiple partners in both Government and private primary care education and training.

We have recently commenced a project in Bihar province. It's to help improve training and performance of doctors working in family medicine through curriculum development and training.

We continue to accredit a two-year Diploma in Family Medicine in West Bengal. This is with the Institute of Health and Family Welfare and West Bengal University of Health Sciences.

Myanmar

Efforts in Myanmar have been led by two RCGP Faculties: Thames Valley and East Anglia. These Faculties have built strong links with colleagues in Myanmar, including at the Myanmar GP Society, the Myanmar Medical Association. 

RCGP runs a 12-month multi-layered project on quality improvement and sustainable GP training.

This project is funded through the Health Partnership scheme, which is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of the UK and partner country health sectors.

Sierra Leone

The RCGP is committed to developing primary care in Sierra Leone. The terrible effects of Ebola have decimated a fragile healthcare system, one which was already in desperate need of a robust primary care system.

After months of waiting Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola-free. We have begun placing volunteers on 12 month VSO primary care placements in Makeni, Sierra Leone.

We are also hoping to complement this work by developing a training offer for Community Health Officers in Sierra Leone. We believe that the way to support Universal Health Coverage is to apply an inter-professional approach. We recognise that in resource poor settings, it is often Community Health Workers and allied health professionals who provide primary care.

South Africa

Our South African programme of work has been developed in partnership with Stellenbosch University and the South Africa Academy of Family Physicians (SAAFP).

The aim is to support South Africa's Universal Health coverage ambitions. This can be done by increasing the quality and quantity of Family Physicians in South Africa through enhanced training and assessment.

The work to date which has been funded by THET and then EuropeAid has seen us run a series of Introduction to Training the Trainer workshops. This is while also providing expert advice to the SA College of Family Physicians National Expert Exam and its examiners.

WONCA

WONCA is the World OrganiSation of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians. It is commonly referred to as the World Organisation of Family Doctors.

The College played host to the 27th European WONCA conference, held conjointly with our annual conference. This was the first international conference of family medicine since the pandemic. Over 2,800 delegates from 79 countries attended the event, with over 300 remote participants. An exciting line-up of keynote plenary speakers included WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WONCA World President Dr Anna Stavdal, Sir Michael Marmot, and of course Chair of RCGP Council Prof Martin Marshall and many others. Professor Victoria Tkachenko joined remotely from the Ukrainian capital Kiev, delivering a passionate and heart-felt address which was received with a standing ovation.

The scientific programme had 13 concurrent streams focussing on various key areas of general practice and included 71 sessions. These ranged from lectures and workshops to symposia, combining over 1,200 individual abstracts and presentations. It was an excellent opportunity to promote the College as a leading institution, setting the highest standards in the discipline and promoting family medicine / general practice globally.

In line with WONCA's tradition, the main event was a two day pre-conference, delivered by the RCGP JIC for GP trainees and early career family doctors. Both WONCA World and WONCA Europe held their council meetings on 27-28 June 2022. This gave us an excellent opportunity to showcase our magnificent building at 30ES. We promoted the College as a leading institution in the profession. We continue to set the highest standards in the discipline and promote family medicine / general practice globally.

WONCA Europe network groups

  • European Academy of Teachers in General Practice and Family Medicine. The aim of the Academy is to foster and maintain high standards of care in European general practice by promoting general practice as a discipline by learning and teaching.
  • European Association for Quality in General Practice and Family Medicine. The aim of EQuiP is to contribute to the achievement of high levels of quality and safety of care for patients in general practice in all European countries.
  • European General Practice Research Network. EGPRN (formerly known as EGPRW, European General Practice Research Workshop) is an organization of general practitioners and other health professionals. They are specifically involved in research in primary care and family medicine.
  • European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association. EURIPA is a representative network organisation founded by family doctors to address the health and wellbeing needs of rural communities and the professional needs of those serving them across Europe.
  • The European Young Family Doctors Movement. EYFDM is the WONCA Europe group for GP trainees and early career GPs from across the European region. They organise a range of conferences and pre-conference's, special interest groups and social events. They actively support short-term international GP exchange placements. The current RCGP liaison to VdGM is Dr Aaron Poppleton.

Uganda

Our links in Uganda are predominantly with the Bwindi Community Hospital. The ever dynamic Junior International Committee have been instrumental in developing 12-month placements for UK GPs and in some instances trainees.

The RCGP is also lead partner in a THET funded family planning project aimed at addressing an unmet need in modern contraception. With local stakeholders, we are providing family planning and sexual health training and education through the U-SHAPE initiative.

The project aims to build much needed capacity, provide adolescent-friendly health education, and integrate family planning into local  health services. Work has begun in Bwindi Community Hospital Kanunugu District, South West Uganda. It is planned to expand to other hospitals and districts across the country.

To find out more about the U-Shape project please see Barbara, a Midwife at Bwindi Community Hospital's blog.

WHO webinar

As part of our strategic partnership with WHO, a joint webinar was held on 13 September entitled “Lessons from healthcare professionals in pandemic recovery”.

Lead speakers included:

  • Dr Jim Campbell, Director Health Workforce, WHO
  • Professor Martin Marshall, Former Chair of RCGP Council
  • Dr Shuchin Bajay, Founder Director of Ujala Cygnus Healthcare service (India)
  • Professor Wanicha Chuenkongkaew, President of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists of Thailand

The event was chaired by Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick, Former RCGP Chief Operating Officer.

Topics included:

  • will lessons learnt result in a Pandemic Treaty with health system and health workers at its core
  • how COVID has changed Primary Care in the UK
  • planning and administration and implementation of a pandemic recovery plan beyond hospitals
  • competencies to address the next pandemic, how the system can prepare, lessons learnt.

Several hundred doctors and medical workers registered for the webinar, the second in a series with WHO. The standard of both presentations and questions was high and feedback demonstrated great enthusiasm for the event.

Better Health Programme

Our trading arm, RCGP International Ltd., continues to deliver work under the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Better Health Programme in Thailand. The RCGP has been commissioned to deliver work under two different sub-programmes within this overall framework in Thailand. The first strand is to provide technical assistance on the process for developing and establishing a healthcare professional e-journal. The second strand is to share knowledge on UK CPD tools and evaluation methods for physicians and support with capacity building. Both projects require working closely with the Thai Ministry of Health in health system strengthening and e-learning.

This project follows from the RCGP’s delivery of similar assistance to Vietnam through the same Better Health Programme. Prior to our Better Health Programme work in Southeast Asia, the RCGP delivered work under the BHP programme in Mexico. We worked with the country’s top medical schools and the Ministry of Health in Mexico.

Thai Study Tour

RCGP International’s impressive delivery as part of the Better Health programme in Thailand resulted in one of the stakeholders involved, asking for a study visit to the UK. This was delivered in September 2022 to a group of editors and senior management staff from Thailand’s PI peer-reviewed journal. The training was led by Professor Graham Easton and Professor Val Wass. Both have extensive experience on international trainings, and with journals. The BJGP team also presented a session.

Mexico

The RCGP joined a consortium of British subject-matter experts to deliver target outcomes under the Better Health Programme in Mexico (BHPMx). The core objective of the BHPMx programme was the strengthening of the healthcare system through knowledge sharing and collaboration with experts based in the United Kingdom (UK). The project was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Other UK parts include DAI the lead managing agency, and the GMC Services International (GMCSI). The RCGP shared expertise, insights and provided examples of best practice in the areas of curriculum development, continuous professional development (CPD) and appraisal processes for GPs working in the UK. As CPD is voluntary in Mexico, the RCGP provided technical advice and ideas on how to increase CPD in Mexico. This can be done through engaging with the Mexico Specialty Boards and ensuring that competencies are sufficiently developed. The in-country partner in Mexico was the government and UNAM.