The Evolving Role of Physicians - Don’t Forget the Generalist Primary Care Providers

Vincent Kalumire Cubaka1,2*, Michael Schriver1, Maaike Flinkenflögel2, Philip Cotton2 Comment on “Non-physician Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Evolving Role of Physicians”

Excerpt: It is timely to reconsider the function and training of physicians in health systems where tasks and responsibilities are increasingly shifted to non-physician clinicians (NPCs). And it is essential to clarify the scope and boundaries of work of different healthcare providers... While spotlighting on specialized NPCs, generalist providers in primary healthcare (PHC) settings should not be forgotten. African countries have many generalist primary care providers who might not be considered as NPCs – probably many more than there are NPCs. The vast majority of outpatient consultations are delivered by generalist primary care providers in non-hospital PHC facilities.2,3 For complete article access, become a member.