GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS OF MEDICAL-EDUCATION

The extremely rapid changes in the world about us mean that it is imperative to re‐evaluate the role of the doctor and consequently medical education. Virtually all countries are experiencing increasing pressure on health care expenditure, particularly through expanded use of medical technology, whereas people seem to have unlimited demand, whilst resources remain limited. How can doctors balance overall benefit against cost, and make medicine a matter of empathy, not merely a commodity? There is ever‐mounting evidence pointing to environment and lifestyle as the key factors affecting health status. In order to cope with these pressures and truly promote the goals of primary health care, it is essential that medical education is broadened to encompass key social sciences, and that doctors are better oriented towards the concerns of the community. Medical training must reflect the needs of end users, and this has extensive implications for admissions policy, medical curricula, teaching methods and medical ethics. 1994 Blackwell Publishing