Developing and Implementing Accreditation Systems
Singapore
The Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) conducted a study of its graduate medical training system in 2006 and 2007 when it recognized a need for change due to factors such as an increase in health services demands from a growing and aging population. Several concerns about its existing apprenticeship model were identified, including the training structure, the increase in the number of trainees, supervision, and protected time for training.
In 2009, the MOH collaborated with the ACGME to develop a structured national residency program, incorporating accreditation by the newly established ACGME International (ACGME-I), to expand the availability of well-trained physicians to meet Singapore's health care needs.
With the value of its new residency post-graduate training system, including accreditation, now enshrined into its PGME system, Singapore began pursuing the creation of its own national accreditation system a decade later. ACGME Global Services is assisting the MOH in developing and transitioning to the new Accreditation of Postgraduate Medical Education Singapore (APMES) system through:
- Collaborating on the design of the accreditation model, which includes a pathway for programs to advance to formative continuing accreditation, aligned with international best practices, while recognizing Singapore’s unique environment and needs.
- Developing detailed policies and procedures for site visits and accreditation reviews.
- Training of program directors, site visitors, and Review Committee members.
- Facilitating the transition of existing programs to APMES through participation in initial site visits and program reviews.
Expansion and Enhancement of PGME for Medical Specialists
Indonesia
Improving the health of its population is a priority for the Republic of Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need to strengthen the resilience of the country’s health system. In 2022, Indonesia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) launched the Health System Transformation Agenda (HSTA), outlining six pillars to expand quality health coverage and addressing regional disparities in access to care: Primary Care; Secondary Care; Health System Resilience; Health Financing; Health Workforce; and Health Bio and Technology.
A key initiative interwoven between the Secondary Care and Health Workforce pillars of the HSTA is increasing the number and distribution of medical specialists. As such, in 2024, the MOH partnered with the ACGME and ACGME International to strengthen its pilot Hospital-Based Specialist Education Program, which aims to accelerate and expand post-graduate education and training of medical specialists in the country.
The partnership began with a series of assessments, starting with an evaluation of Indonesia’s national landscape of medical education and training, followed by assessments of individual institutions and programs. The resulting insights led to co-development of specific interventions designed to enhance institutional capabilities in PGME governance, oversight, and clinician educator competencies.
Enhancing PGME Infrastructure
Saudi Arabia
In 2016, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia embarked on a 15-year program to transform its economy and enhance the lives of its citizens. An essential element of “Saudi Vision 2030” was the transformation of the health care sector and its underpinning educational programs.
At the request of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), ACGME Global Services:
- Conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the Kingdom’s accreditation of post-graduate training for physicians, nurses, and dentists.
- Made recommendations for governance, management, and operational improvements against international benchmarks.
- Evaluated existing and proposed new training centers to assess their alignment with international benchmarks, including identifying gaps and recommending roadmaps for improvement.
- Developed roadmaps to bring programs into compliance with both SCFHS and international standards.
Developing Professional Competency Standards
Vietnam
In 2021, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health released a study on the status of diseases, resource demand, training capability, and developing Professional Competency Standards for the Vietnam Rehabilitation Specialist Doctor program. Subsequent to this report, the International Center, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), contracted ACGME Global Services to review draft professional competency standards for physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians to ensure alignment with international benchmarks.
ACGME Global Services assisted Hanoi Medical University in validating that the proposed professional competency standards in development for Vietnam were in general alignment compared with standards of global peers in physical medicine and rehabilitation. A detailed gap analysis was conducted, and recommendations for enhancing the draft standards were presented.
