Re: NACP III and Medical Education

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Let me share my experience of " Thematic Integration of HIV/AIDS into Medical

Curricula at Harvard "

Challenged by how to fit in all relevant science and clinical teaching on

HIV/AIDS approach, Harvard Medical School established the HIV Theme Planning

Group which I chaired for five years. Our goal was to identify key issues

needing to be taught, to track where they could be taught through four years of

medical school education, and to advocate for inclusion of relevant materials in

appropriate courses.

At times this approach led to competition with other curricular needs, but at

other times led to collaboration with groups that could use HIV/AIDS examples

for make other points in areas ranging from ethics to occupational health. It

would be interesting to define core competencies for medical school and then

see how these could be positioned across the years of medical education and

clinical training. I am more than happy to discuss further.

Harvey J. Makadon MD

Associate Prof. of Medicine

Harvard University

E-mail: hmakadon@...

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

NACP III will be different. Interested to hear that somebody is

thinking about the next generation of doctors. Thanks Bobby

Not only HIV disease, all infectious diseases share the feature that

they are being cared by all specialities, including Ob Gynaec,

Ophthalm, ENT, Gen Surgery, Ortho etc.

One of the areas in which medical curriculum and training is weak in

India has been the area of Infectious Diseases. Very little training

facilities, very few doctors who like to be associated and at the

same time, a very important specialty in view of the many epidemic

and other infectious diseases that plague the country across the

length and breadth, (including even Kerala and Delhi).

Let me once again put forth the need for developing and

strengthening the Infectious Diseases Departments in all medical and

nursing schools, as the need of the hour.

That does not mean these are the only units where these patients

will be treated but rather they should act as nodal centres for best

practices, training and coordination.

Here let me share with you how the Kottayam Medical College ID unit

was successfully established and even now running as a training and

orientation (shall we call it the Kottayam model of ID care ?)

rather than sticking on to the old concept " isolation wards " .

Once the ID departments are being established, many problems

associated with bad care, training and orientation, attitude and

behaviour problems, can be tackled at the institutional level.

HIV issues can be managed in any ID unit (as in any other unit but

with more specialised inputs) with practically no stigma and

discrimination.

Just another point. Many discussions on medical education just stop

at the under graduate level, as it happens with many national

programs. Training of post graduates (from all specialities and

sperspecialities) in all aspects of ID care (including counselling,

psycho social and socio epidemiologic issues) is something totally

lacking in many General Medicine courses even.

This may also be taken up ASAP, even before NACP III.

Let us hope, the medical education faculty will seriously interact

on these issues.

Dr. R. Sajith Kumar,

Medical College Hospital, Kottayam, Kerala.

E-mail: " <rsajith@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

This referers to Dr Sajit's mail. Re: NACP III and Medical education. As a Medical educationist, I feel the only subject which talks of Patients care in Infecious Diseases is Community Medicine. It is a interdisciplinary teaching which is need of the hour for a subject like Inf Diseases. It is no body's baby with every One dabbling without any focussed approach.

Kannan

Dr A.T.kannan

Prof & Head Community Medicine,

University College Of Medical Sciences,

Delhi-110095

E-mail:

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends:

I am delighted that Bobby has initiated this very important discussion. Re; the

roel of medical education in NACP III.

In 1997, at that time, we at the Medical College of Ohio in collaboration with

NACO, Harvard Medical School, Dr. SN Medical College, Jodhpur and American Red

Cross conducted a pilot project titled " Incorporating HIV/AIDS as a course in

the undergraduate and graduate medical training " supported by World AIDS

Foundation, under the leadership of Professor Joana Chakraborty of Medical

College of Ohio.

This was a very successful project and NACO should have the syllabus and course

outlines on file.

I will be more than happy to share further details with interested friends on

this project. We also initiated an HIV/AIDS elective course at the Medical

College of Ohio in 1994, which became very

popular among the medical students on a weekend.

I trust that the Indian Medical College Faculy will interact on this issue.

Respectfully

Anil

Anil Purohit

Harvard Institutes of Medicine

E-mail: apurohit@...