PUDUCHERRY: With the aim of providing high quality training to students, a national workshop was conducted for recommending an innovative MBBS curriculum here on Friday.
Experts, who took part at the inaugural function of the workshop stressed the need for ‘bed-side practice’ teaching and use of latest technology for enhancing the skills of the undergraduate students, particularly in clinical and laboratory medicine disciplines.
Addressing the gathering, JIPMER President, Dr Maharaj Kishan Bhan, said the medical institutions of the country are not producing ‘Practitioners of the art’ in producing doctors, who gain enough knowledge for facing an emergency situation after the completion of undergraduate course.
He said it was felt that the fear and lack of confidence in facing an emergency situation added to the deficiencies of the students, who pass out afresh.
The JIPMER president gave a call to ‘Teach around the problems’ to increase the skills and knowledge of fresh graduates to equip themselves with the necessary ingredients to face any emergencies.
Revealing that the country will have more number of MBBS doctors in the near future, he added that “But we will not have enough specialist doctors for the next twenty years.’
Stressing the need for clinical excellence, Dr Bhan said unless we attain it, we will only have a lop-sided health system to deal with the secondary and tertiary health care.
JIPMER Director Dr Subhash Chandra Parija, while addressing the gathering said that the goals for a better undergraduate curriculum should be aimed at grooming doctors with proficiency in primary health care, emergency care and make him a competent doctor to handle emergencies.
Dr Parija said the curriculum should be updated with the inclusion of new technologies, including information technology and e-learning to enhance the student’s capabilities.
Dr Sridhar, who presented the introductory remarks, said JIPMER is is supposed to go in for a periodic review of the educational activities with a view to improve and stay up-to-date. ‘With the ever increasing knowledge base in science, particularly clinical and laboratory medicine, there is a felt need among all stakeholders for bringing in changes in the MBBS curriculum,’ he said.
‘Alongside equipping graduates with the required knowledge, the curriculum must address skill development that would result in a doctor who can provide quality care at the primary level, be able to handle emergencies and deliver preventive health care. In short, be a leader of the health care team.’