Osmania medical college gets first-of-its-kind skill lab

Hyderabad: The state’s first-of-its-kind ‘skill lab’ was inaugurated at the Osmania Medical College (OMC) in Koti by Dr. K. Ramesh Reddy, director of medical education, here on Wednesday.

Stressing on the importance of the facility and hitting the right chords, Dr. Reddy appreciated the timing and said that this would help fill a lacuna that has not been addressed in a long time.

He said "it has been noticed that in our training programs the hands-on skills needed to tackle emergency cases is lacking to a considerable extent. In our student days such labs were not available and we used to get trained in the casualty wing. The younger generation has shifted from skill learning to bookish learning and is not keen on treatment of patients. We need to take this seriously and all departments, especially clinical, should ensure proper training in emergency skills. This is one area which is dynamic and a few minutes could make or break the situation. Here is where skill labs will make a lot of difference. As per our university program all house surgeons are trained in basic life support. But it’s a very short structured program. Management of trauma and critical care skills need to be structured in such a manner that respective departments train students that they will be able to put their skills to proper use".

The centrally-funded lab, as part of its national emergency life support initiative, will cater to nearly 500 undergraduates and postgraduates apart from hundreds of para medical technicians every year. Medical professionals can practice procedural skills like trauma management, basic life support, paediatric emergency, obstetrics emergency and acute cardiac management.

Principal of OMC Dr. P. Shashikala Reddy said, “Our students will now be able to proficiently manage surgical, cardiac and obstetric emergencies with greater efficiency and skill. With this facility our students will emerge as one of the best in dealing with emergencies.”

Dr. Ramesh Reddy said "We need to have qualified trainers in every nook and corner of the state so that CPR programs can be taken up for the common masses. Off late, we are seeing young people just collapsing and dying. Some of such individuals could benefit from a proper CPR at the right time."