Doctor Of Medicine (MD) Tropical Medicine: Admission, Fees, Medical Colleges, Eligibility Criteria Details Here

MD Tropical Medicine or Doctor of Medicine in Tropical Medicine, also known as MD in Tropical Medicine is a Postgraduate level course for doctors in India that is done by them after completion of their MBBS. The duration of this postgraduate course is 3 years, and it focuses on the study of various concepts related to the field of studying and understanding the dynamics from scratch of tropical medicine, unique diseases, and infections.

The course is a full-time course pursued at various recognized medical colleges across the country. The top medical colleges offering this course are the School of Tropical Medicine (Kolkata) and SMS Medical College (Jaipur).

Admission to this course is done through the NEET PG Entrance exam conducted by the National Board of Examinations, followed by counseling based on the scores of the exam that is conducted by DGHS/MCC/State Authorities.

The fee for pursuing an MD in Tropical Medicine varies from college to college. The average course fee is Rs.49000 to Rs.8 Lakh per annum.

After completion of their respective course, doctors can either join the job market or pursue a super-specialization course where MD Tropical Medicine is a feeder qualification. Candidates can take reputed jobs as Senior residents, Junior Consultants, etc. with an approximate salary range of Rs. 3 lakh – Rs. 32 lakh per annum.

What is MD in Tropical Medicine?

Doctor of Medicine in Tropical Medicine, also known as M.D. (Tropical Medicine) is a three-year postgraduate programme that candidates can pursue after completing MBBS.

Tropical Medicine is the branch of medical science dealing with communicable and noncommunicable diseases in the tropics. Most of the communicable diseases are infections that are endemic to the tropics contributing to significant morbidity and mortality.

National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex medical regulator, has released a Guidelines for Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme for MD in Tropical Medicine.

The Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme governs the education and training of MDs in Tropical Medicine.

The PG education intends to create specialists who can contribute to high-quality health care and advances in science through research and training.

The required training done by a postgraduate specialist in the field of Tropical Medicine would help the specialist recognize the community's health needs. The student should be competent to handle medical problems effectively and should be aware of the recent advances in their specialty.

The candidate should be a highly competent doctor possessing a broad range of skills that will enable her/him to practice Tropical Medicine independently. The PG candidate should also acquire the basic skills in teaching medical/para-medical students.

The candidate is also expected to know the principles of research methodology and modes of the consulting library. The candidate should regularly attend conferences, workshops, and CMEs to upgrade her/ his knowledge.

Course Highlights

Here are some of the course highlights of MD in Tropical Medicine

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for MD in Tropical Medicine are defined as the set of rules or minimum prerequisites that aspirants must meet to be eligible for admission, which include:

1. Candidates must have an undergraduate MBBS degree from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

2. Candidates should have done a compulsory rotating internship of one year in a teaching institution or other institution which is recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

3. The candidate must have obtained permanent registration of any State Medical Council to be eligible for admission.

4. The medical college's recognition cut-off dates for the MBBS Degree courses and compulsory rotatory Internship shall be as prescribed by the Medical Council of India (now NMC).

Admission Process

The admission process contains a few steps to be followed in order by the candidates for admission to MD in Tropical Medicine. Candidates can view the complete admission process for MD in Tropical Medicine mentioned below:

1. The NEET PG or National Eligibility Entrance Test for Post Graduate is a national-level master's level examination conducted by the NBE for admission to MD/MS/PG Diploma Courses.

2. The requirement of eligibility criteria for participation in counseling towards PG seat allotment conducted by the concerned counseling authority shall be instead of the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations (as per the latest amendment) notified by the MCI (now NMC) with prior approval of MoHFW.

3. The following Medical institutions are not covered under centralized admissions for MD/MS seats through NEET- PG:

1. AIIMS, New Delhi, and other AIIMS

2. PGIMER, Chandigarh

3. JIPMER, Puducherry

4. NIMHANS, Bengaluru

Fees Structure

The fee structure for MD in Tropical Medicine varies from college to college. The fee is generally less for Government Institutes and more for private institutes. The average fee structure for MD in Tropical Medicine is Rs.49000 to Rs.8 Lakh per annum.

Colleges offering MD in Tropical Medicine

There are various medical colleges across India that offer courses for pursuing MD (Tropical Medicine).

As per National Medical Commission (NMC) website, the following medical colleges are offering MD (Tropical Medicine) courses for the academic year 2022-23.

Stipend MD Tropical Medicine

The stipend offered by various medical colleges in India for MD Tropical Medicine for the year 2022 is as follows:

Syllabus

An MD in Tropical Medicine is a three years specialization course that provides training in the stream of Tropical Medicine.

The course content for MD in Tropical Medicine is given in the Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme released by National Medical Commission, which can be assessed on the link below:

NMC Guidelines For Competency-Based Training Programme For MD Tropical Medicine

1. Environmental disorders

Heat stress and heat stroke, hypothermia, high-altitude illness, podoconiosis, adverse health consequences of tobacco (smoked and smokeless), air-pollution, indoor air- pollution, occupational lung diseases, health consequences of large-scale natural disasters such as famines, floods, tsunami, earthquakes, land slides, forest fires, etc; health impacts of global warming

2. Nutritional disorders

Assessment of nutritional status, malnutrition, protein-energy malnutrition, specific nutrient deficiencies - iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, beri beri, pellagra, micronutrient deficiencies, alcoholism, endemic hypothyroidism, nutritional anaemia.

3. Infectious diseases

3a. Viral infections

Acute and chronic viral hepatitis, arboviral infections, dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever, chikungunya, varicella, measles, mumps, rubella, viral haemorrhagic fevers, Epstein-Barr virus infection, rabies, viral gastroenteritis, viral respiratory infections, cutaneous viral infections - molluscum contagiosum, viral warts, hand-foot-mouth disease, viral infections of the central nervous system, poliomyelitis, HIV/AIDS, HIV-related opportunistic conditions; National AIDS Control Programme, NACO guidelines on management of HIV/AIDS

3b. Rickettsial infections 3c. Bacterial infections

Acute diarrhoeal illness, cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid, non-typhoidal Salmonella infections, shigellosis, pneumococcal infections, impetigo, erysipelas, acute bacterial meningitis, meningococcal infections, pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis, non-tuberculous mycobacterial diseases, leprosy, anthrax, brucellosis, tetanus, diphtheria, plague, melioidosis, gonorrhoea, syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections, endemic treponematoses, leptospirosis, sepsis, infective endocarditis, tropical pyomyositis, urinary tract infections, otitis media, cerebral abscess, trachoma.

3d. Fungal infections

Superficial fungal infections, candidiasis, mycetoma, systemic fungal infections including histoplasmisis and penicilliosis, Pneumocysits jiroveci infection.

3e. Protozoan infections

Malaria, hyperreactive malarial splenomegaly, African trypanosomiasis, American typanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, amoebiasis, amoebic liver abscess, giardiasis, pathogenic free-living amoeba, trichomoniasis.

3f. Helminthic infections

Soil-transmitted helminths, filariasis, onchocerciasis, hydatidosis, cysticercosis, schistosomiasis, food-borne trematodes.

3g. Ectoparasites

Pediculosis, scabies, myiasis, arthropod dermatoses, insect stings, bites, allergies.

3h. Miscellaneous

Vaccinations - childhood and adults, advice to international travelers.

4. Tropics-specific organ-limited diseases

Acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, endomycocardial fibrosis, tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, parasitic pulmonary diseases, tropical pancreatitis, tropical sprue, haemoglobinopathies, G6PD-deficiency.

5. Poisoning

General management of the poisoned patient, toxidromes, organophosphorus poisoning, organocarbamate/chlorine poisoning, aluminium phosphide poisoning, copper sulphate poisoning, heavy metal poisoning - lead, arsenic, thallium, and mercury, inhalant substance abuse and corrosive ingestion, snake bite and snake envenomation, animal bites, scorpion stings, yellow oleander poisoning, mushroom poisoning, other plant poisons, lathyrism, aflatoxin, epidemic dropsy, fluorosis.

6. Internal medicine

Epilepsy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Alzheimer's dementia, Parkinson's disease, osteoarthritis, infectious arthritis, reactive arthritis, fibromyalgia, somatoform disorders, depression, anxiety disorder, peptic ulcer disease, irritable bowel syndrome, acute intestinal obstruction, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, lung abscess, pleural effusion, empyema, congestive heart failure, pericardial effusion, acid-base and electrolyte disorders, management of acute/chronic renal failure, skin manifestations of internal disease, adverse drug reactions, principles of transfusion therapy and transfusion-related complications, approach to fever of unknown origin, diagnostic evaluation of anaemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, low-cost management and prevention of non-communicable diseases, cancers prevalent in tropical settings.

7. Medical emergencies

Severe dehydration, acute myocardial infarction, malignant hypertension, acute stroke, status epilepticus, acute severe asthma, pneumothorax, hypoglycaemia, diabeteic ketoacidosis, acute pancreatitis, approach to an unresponsive patient, heat stroke, septic shock and severe sepsis, oxygen therapy.

8. Child health

Pattern of morbidity and mortality in children, management of common childhood illnesses such as acute respiratory infections, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, dehydration, tuberculosis in children, exapanded immunization programme, Vitamin A prophylaxis, IDD control programme; common dietary sources, assessment of nutritional status based on history and physical examination, protein energy malnutrition - identification, classification; causes and management including complications, planning diet for protein-energy malnutrition; breastfeeding; vitamin deficiency disorders.

9. Maternal health

Antenatal care, immunisation against tetanus, abortion, septic abortion, hyperemesis gravidarum, conduct of labour, complications of labour, postpartum haemorrhage, injuries to the lower genital tract, foetal distress and foetal death, pregnancy induced hypertension, eclampsia, complications of eclampsia; anaemia in pregnancy, other medical disorders like heart disease/ diabetes mellitus and urinary tract infection, liver diseases in pregnancy, care of newborn, common problems in the new born, Medical Termination of Pregnancy, contraception.

10. Public health

Applied epidemiology of infectious diseases (tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, typhoid fever, dengue, hookworm infestation, filariasis, Japanese B encephalitis, chikungunya, leptospirosis, leprosy), non-communicable diseases (obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease), environmental diseases (arsenic, lathyrism, aflatoxin), occupational diseases, poisoning, and nutritional disorders in developing countries, "Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries", micro- and macro- economics of health, social determinants of health, poverty and disparity in heath care, concepts of environmental engineering, health policy making and cost- effectiveness issues, national disease control programmes in India; preventive tropical medicine.

11. Clinical epidemiology and research methodology

11a. Study designs

Observational vs. interventional studies, cross-sectional vs. longitudinal, case-control, cohort studies, randomised controlled trials

11b. Methodology

Sample size estimation, sampling and measurement errors, sampling strategies, bias, confounding, interaction, clinical trials - random allocation, blinding, allocation concealment, parallel vs. cross-over design, factorial design.

11c. Basics of medical statistics

Types of data, descriptive statistics, confidence intervals, bivariate analysis - categorical vs. continuous, categorical vs. categorical, continuous vs. continuous, concepts of multivariable analysis, absolute risk reduction, numbers needed to treat/harm, statistical vs. clinical significance, association vs. causation.

11d. Introduction to systematic reviews and meta-analysis

What is a systematic review/meta-analysis? How to perform a systematic review? Pros and cons of meta-analyses.

11e. Evidence-based medicine (EBM)

What is EBM? Formulating the question - PICO format, searching for evidence, critical appraisal of evidence, and evidence synthesis.

Career Options

After completing an MD in Tropical Medicine, candidates will get employment opportunities in Government as well as in the Private sector.

In the Government sector, candidates have various options to choose from which include Registrar, Senior Resident, Demonstrator, Tutor, etc.

While in the Private sector the options include Resident Doctor, Consultant, Visiting Consultant (Tropical Medicine), Junior Consultant, Senior Consultant (Tropical Medicine), Consultant Tropical Medicine Specialist, etc.

Courses After MD in Tropical Medicine Course

MD in Tropical Medicine is a specialization course that can be pursued after finishing MBBS. After pursuing a specialization in MD (Tropical Medicine), a candidate could also pursue super specialization courses recognized by NMC, MD (Tropical Medicine) is a feeder qualification.

DM Infectious Disease is the course that requires MD Tropical Medicine as a feeder qualification.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) – MD in Sports Medicine Course

Question: What is an MD in Tropical Medicine?

Answer: MD Tropical Medicine or also known as MD in Tropical Medicine is a Postgraduate level course for doctors in India that is done by them after completion of their MBBS.

Question: What is the duration of an MD in Tropical Medicine?

Answer: MD in Tropical Medicine is a postgraduate programme of three years.

Question: What is the eligibility of an MD in Tropical Medicine?

Answer: Candidates must be in possession of an undergraduate MBBS degree from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India.

Question: What is the scope of an MD in Tropical Medicine?

Answer: MD in Tropical Medicine offers candidates various employment opportunities and career prospects.

Question: What is the average salary for an MD in Tropical Medicine postgraduate candidate?

Answer: The MD in Tropical Medicine candidate's average salary is Rs. 3 lakh – Rs. 32 lakh per annum .

Question: What is Tropical Medicine course?

Answer: The subjects taught in tropical medicine include all branches of Medical Science with special emphasis on some. They cover paediatric, psychiatry, Dermatology, coronary care, haematology, cosmetology, microbiology, cardiology, as well as community health management.