Clinical practice with community health perspective makes community medicine a unique specialty. In their health centers, community physicians not only implement disease prevention programs, assess community health needs, manage healthcare teams and advocate for health promoting policies but also diagnose and treat diseases. However, participation of community medicine faculty in the delivery of clinical care varies from place to place due to administrative constraints. Health centers attached with medical college are not dependent on community medicine faculty for clinical service as these centers have their own medical and paramedical staff; whereas, other clinical departments in medical colleges depend on their faculty for delivery of clinical care in the hospital. Consequently, a perception is gaining ground that community medicine is a para-clinical specialty. Strategies for a fixed tenured rotation of faculty in the health centers should be evolved. All faculty members of community medicine must also provide clinical care in the health centers and the quantum of clinical services provided by each one of them should be reported widely to all stakeholders. Community medicine residency programs must ensure that trainee community physicians acquire competency to deliver comprehensive primary health care (promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative) in a health center.

Provisioning of comprehensive health care to all members of the community is one of the major responsibilities of Community Medicine Doctors; however, the extent of their involvement in clinical care varies between countries and within a country depending on the way health systems have evolved historically in a particular context. Practice of community-oriented primary care approach that promotes teamwork and linkages with the community can enhance the impact of community medicine programs.

Community-oriented doctors provide comprehensive primary health care to the entire community through the health center, clinic, or dispensary which includes the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses for children, adults and elderly, preventive checkups, routine maternity and newborn care, immunizations, certain minor surgeries, and mental health care in consultation with other specialists when needed. Their involvement in the follow-up care throughout life enhances the understanding of the medical history of the patients and their participation in home care establishes a knowledge base and relationship with the community they serve.

In view of the shortage of doctors, the entire community medicine workforce (faculty and students) should shoulder the responsibility for providing comprehensive primary health care to people. Using common data collection protocols and information technology tools, a large dataset can be built up for analysis of epidemiological trends in morbidity and mortality and for carrying out operational and implementation research.