Maharashtra to start first two-year Masters course on epidemics

Indias first Masters in Public Health course with the specialisation in Epidemic Management and Surveillance will start in Maharashtra Doctors say the twoyear course will help understand the prevalence severity and prevention of any infectious disease The Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences in Wardha will be the first to start the postgraduate studyDr Vedprakash Mishra the national head of the Academic Programme Indian Programme UNESCO chair in Bioethics Haifa said the study will also be launched across the country in accordance with the governing provisions in the National Medical Commission Act 2019 and the enabling provision in the governing regulation to handle pandemic like COVID19 in futureThe Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences DMIMS Wardha will start the Masters in Public Health Postgraduate Course this academic year The study would give a generation of trained public health practitioners with specialised knowledge in Epidemic Management and Surveillance said doctorsWill give trained specialistsDr Vedprakash Mishra national head Academic Programme UNESCODr Mishra who had formulated the structure for DMIMS said The COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the limitations of manpower especially in regards to expertise for the management of the epidemic The limitations are both in terms of required numbers and the level of expertise And one of the important lessons we took from this is that there is a need for venture for training and orientation of a generation of trained epidemics specialistsIt is for this reason I had proposed to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to incorporate an entry into the Postgraduate Regulation on Medical Education to include an MD Course in Epidemic Management and Surveillance Moreover there is a need for structuring of the operational details in regards to Epidemic Management in the Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum in the form of stipulated competenciesHelp in better managementDr Wiqar ShaikhDr Wiqar Shaikh a senior allergy and asthma specialist agreed that epidemiology is an extremely important area of medical science and the understanding of this subject is essential for not only the doctors but also for the medical students It is essential to understand the prevalence severity and prevention of any infectious disease This helps in better management of patientsPandemic management was never a part of the medical curriculum at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels It is therefore imperative that both epidemiology and pandemic management are taught to medical students he addedMust get MCI recognitionDr Shaikh said the epidemiology and pandemic management study must be approved as a recognised qualification by the Medical Council of India This will not only help in the better management of future pandemics or epidemics but also produce teachers and researchers on the crucial subjectsBMC medical staff conduct an antigen test at a civic clinic at Gautam Nagar Dadar on Monday PICASHISH RAJEDr Ketan Vagholkar the professor of surgery at DY Patil Medical College said The basic concept of epidemic management has always been an integral part of undergraduate study He added that now both the UG and PG courses must have subjects on biologically engineered organisms COVID19 appears to be genetically engineered Zoonotic disease The new curriculum should give importance to the possible diseases caused by bioengineered viruses And the need of the hour is to train our young medical brains to identify and control an outbreak of such a massive scale It will also help in muchneeded Research amp DevelopmentDr Ketan R VagholkarMuchneeded for autopsiesSpeaking in the context of the requirement of autopsies in case of COVID19 patients Dr Mishra said the masters course will be very helpful in ascertaining the exact cause of deathThe required database is needed because the highrisk group for COVID19 is those aged above 60 years with comorbidities The ascertaining of the cause of death exclusively due to COVID19 and thereby associationcorrelation with the corelable clinical science symptoms on manifestations would be feasible This would pave the way for greater and critical analysis on the said count and would prove to be of reasonable significance and importance not only from the point of view of deciphering the corelable causes and the manifestations but also from the various other aspects of scientific critical studyBMC health workers conduct a rapid antigen test Hafkin Gymkhana on Tuesday PICASHISH RAJEHowever it must be ensured that the said dispensation of performance of autopsies should be exclusively subject to the adherence to the prescribed guidelines in the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and managements thereto from time to time so that the required conformity is worked out at all costs said Dr Mishra who is also the prochancellor of DMIMSKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete 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