Weeks after its decision to introduce a new pandemic management module for undergraduate medical students, the board of governors (BoG) of the Medical Council of India (MCI) on Thursday released the official document for colleges to implement the same, starting August 2020.
“This pandemic management module is designed to ensure that the MBBS student acquires competencies in handling not only the illness but also the social, legal and other issues arising from such disease outbreaks,” states the foreward of the module. “The emergence of Covid-19 and its rapid spread across the globe has further underlined the need to develop these skills in our graduates. One of the desirable outcomes of the competency derived education program is to enable medical graduates to be able to understand, investigate, treat, and prevent new and emerging diseases,” added the foreward.
The module was put together by a team of experts and the academic cell of the MCI. The group of experts included names of former director and Dean of KEM Hospital, Dr Avinash Supe along with senior doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute in Chennai as well as officials from the Medical Council of India.
As per the details mentioned in the newly launched module, it has been arranged in a phase-based manner and is expected to be covered by an interdisciplinary team under the supervision of the Institute level curriculum committee. The course not only covers disease/epidemic management, intensive care, research, and control but also includes a module in communication with media during a pandemic.
{{/usCountry}}As per the details mentioned in the newly launched module, it has been arranged in a phase-based manner and is expected to be covered by an interdisciplinary team under the supervision of the Institute level curriculum committee. The course not only covers disease/epidemic management, intensive care, research, and control but also includes a module in communication with media during a pandemic.
{{/usCountry}}“It is expected that this longitudinal module extending from the foundation course to the final year graduate program will help in ensuring the creation of a medical graduate who will serve as a doctor, leader, and a healer during a pandemic,” highlights a statement released by MCI.
Parents and students feel this module will better prepare the future generations of doctors for such situations in the future.
“The initial phase of a pandemic is when it can be controlled best and being prepared for such a pandemic is the necessity of the current times. Hopefully, this new module will help mould better-prepared doctors and health experts in the future,” said Brijesh Sutaria, parent of an MBBS student.