THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Peripheral hospitals across the state are breathing easy. The first-ever district residency programme (DRP) introduced for PG medical students has improved patient care in the hospitals, as per initial assessment. With the medicos shouldering various responsibilities, taluk, general and district hospitals are tending to more patients, and facilities like operation theatres and diagnostic equipment are being utilised better.
Already halfway through their three-month training, students too are reaping benefits as they are getting the much-needed exposure to the secondary care system which most of them would be taking up post completion of their courses.
Health experts said the success of DRP will help improve the health system by implementing the referral system. Initial assessment of the DRP is that it helped address shortage of doctors to some extent. Some cases, which would have otherwise been referred to a medical college hospital (MCH), are now being handled at peripheral hospitals.
“A surgeon or gynaecologist at a taluk hospital feels more confident of taking up more cases as there are qualified hands to support them. This would not happen if there is just one doctor for all the patients. In such a situation, there would be more referrals to MCHs,” said Dr Ravindran C, state nodal officer for the DRP. “Also, a patient undergoing a surgical procedure can continue treatment at a secondary treatment centre and be discharged later,” he said.
Successful execution of DRP is being considered as the stepping stone for implementing the forward and back referral system. It will reduce the load on MCHs and help patients get better care at the periphery itself. Dr Ravindran said DRP was designed keeping the best interests of students in mind. Medicos in the first batch too have expressed their satisfaction, said a survey conducted by Kerala Medical Post Graduate Association (KMPGA).
KMPGA state president Dr Ruwise E A, who is at Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital (GH) for his DRP, said, “We are getting more outpatient experience at the GH, something we might not get at the MCH. Doctors here are attending to more trauma cases with our support.”
Dr Althaf A, IMA secretary and associate professor at Thiruvananthapuram MCH said the DRP is a triple win for the health system, the residents (PG medicos) and patients.
“The residents will be working in the secondary level next. So they should get training for that level. They need to be aware of the procedures in the periphery. DRP gives them the opportunity to learn about the government health system,” he said.
In a nutshell
The National Medical Commission made the district residency programme mandatory for all PG medical students from 2021 batch. They will be deployed in four groups for a three-month period. In Kerala, 321 students were selected for the DRP from the first-year batch of 1,284 students studying in government and private medical colleges. Students had been apprehensive of deployment outside medical colleges
Students strength
Total first-year PG residents: 1,284 (Govt: 854, pvt: 430)
Students in first DRP batch: 321