MBBS students to mandatorily adopt a family from 1st professional year: NMC

New Delhi: Issuing new Guidelines under the Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has now released the curriculum for the Family Adoption Programme.

A circular in this regard was released on June 12, 2023, the Director of the UGMEB, Shambhu Sharan Kumar stating, "All previously issued Notifications/circulars/clarifications shall now be void and superseded by these new guidelines."

These new guidelines including the new curriculum for the Family Adoption Programme "shall be applicable to all the admission made in MBBS course in a medical college in the academic year 2023-24."

The Curriculum for the Family Adoption Programme includes targets to be achieved by the MBBS students in their first, second, and third professional year of the course. Further, the curriculum lists down the competencies that the students should be able to acquire, objectives, suggested teaching-learning methods, suggested assessment methods, and teaching hours.

Further, the Family Adoption Programme curriculum also includes the log book for Family Adoption, which shall include the name of the college, university, address details, name of the students, roll number, village name, Tehsil/District, State/Union Territory, name of the mentor, status of the mentor, name and address and experience of Asha worker, etc.

Also Read: Coming Soon: NMC plans on Introducing Family Adoption Programme in MBBS Curriculum

FAMILY ADOPTION PROGRAM:

This is being introduced with the aim of a village outreach program for MBBS students. Every college may arrange one diagnostic medical camp in the village wherein identification of:

a) anaemia, malnutrition in children, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart diseases, kidney diseases, any other local problems may be addressed.

b) If required, patients shall be admitted in the hospital for acute illness under care of student, charges may be waived off or provide concession or govt. schemes

c) For chronic illness, students shall be involved.

d) Subsidized treatment charges may be provided under govt. schemes or welfare schemes.

e) Medical student may be allocated about 5 families and introduced in the first visit

f) Camps may be arranged by Dean and Community Medicine/ P.S.M. department with active involvement of Associate/ Asst. Professors, social worker and supporting staff. Local population may be involved with village leaders

g) Visit by students be made to the visit as mentioned in table below. Annual follow up diagnostic camp can be continued by the PSM department

TARGETS TO BE ACHIEVED BY STUDENTS –

First Professional Year:

a) Learning communication skills and inspire confidence amongst families

b) Understand the dynamics of rural set-up of that region

c) Screening programs and education about ongoing government sponsored health related programs

d) Learn to analyse the data collected from their families

e) Identify diseases/ ill-health/ malnutrition of allotted families and try to improve the standards

Second Professional Year:

a) Inspire active participation of community through families allotted

b) Continue active involvement to become the first doctor /reference point of the family by continued active interaction

c) Start compiling the outcome targets achieved

Third Professional Year:

Professional Year Analysis of their involvement and impact on existing socio-politico-economic dynamics in addition to improvement in health conditions

Final visit to have last round of active interaction with families -prepare a report to be submitted to department addressing:

1) Improvement in general health

2) Immunization

3) Sanitation

4) De-addiction

5) Whether healthy lifestyles like reading good books, sports/ yoga activities have been inculcated in the house-holds.

6) Improvement in anaemia, tuberculosis control

7) Sanitation awareness

8) Any other issues

9) Role of the student in supporting family during illness/ medical emergency

10) Social responsibility in the form of environment protection programme in form of plantation drive (medicinal plants/trees), cleanliness and sanitation drives with the initiative of the medical student

Curriculum for Family Adoption Programme –

• Family name and address

• Approximate size of living space of house-hold

• Malarial flu/ etc pertinent to the region

1) If there is any illness or medical emergency required by the house-hold, the student should take initiative in being the primary contact for the family.

2) The student in turn should consult his/her mentor for further management of the patient.

3) The hospital to which the college is attached must provide treatment facilities to the patient.

4) Government schemes may be utilized for optimal management.

5) Follow-up records must be maintained by the student. These must be periodically evaluated by mentors with the help of senior residents.

6) The entire data sheet may be prepared by every student and submitted by the end of 6th semester for evaluation.

7) Progress notes must include every demographic point and history recorded.

Also Read: NMC releases final Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023, check out details

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that NMC's consideration of introducing a new Family Adoption Programme as a part of the MBBS curriculum. Such a step was taken by the top medical regulator with an aim of making healthcare services accessible in the rural areas in an equitable manner.