Paediatrics and Child Health Subspecialty - Past, Present and Future

The idea of embarking on a general paediatrics subspecialty was first mooted at the 6th paediatrics biennial meeting in 2001 under the leadership of the chief paediatrician then, Dr Wong Swee Lan and was presented as a proposal to the Ministry of Health (MOH) on 12th August 2003. Datuk Dr. Kuan Geok Lan was the primary advocate for this subspeciality and conducted extensive foundational work in its establishment. This programme was accepted and recognised as a paediatric subspecialty on 1st July 2005 and initially known as “Advanced Paediatrics”. This article will discuss the criteria for accreditation of this subspecialty, the training programme, how the programme has evolved as well as the name change from “Advanced Paediatrics” to “Paediatrics and Child Health”. This review will conclude with a detailed discussion of the current status of the program, future directions, and benchmarking of this subspeciality.