Chennai: The year 2018 saw major changes in the medical education sector with the Medical Council of India (MCI) announcing its decision to revamp the MBBS curriculum after 21 years. This academic year, to commence from August 2019, will see medical students learn a new syllabus placing more emphasis on mental health, public health, as well as on communication skills.
A meeting was convened at the Kilpauk Medical Hospital and College Monday to discuss the changes in the syllabus and to train the faculty in Curriculum Implementation Support Programme (CISP).
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Dr P Vasanthamani, MD, D.G.O, Dean, KMC said, "The new curriculum will give students better exposure as it is more clinical oriented. Subjects and topics focused on moral and ethical values, communication with patients and empathetic approach have been included."
"Our faculty will undergo training in CISP starting from today. This will be monitored by an official from MCI. After Completing CISP, the professors will receive a completion certificate from MCI, Delhi. ", she added.
The new curriculum will also see students study 'AETCOM'- Attitude, ethics and communication from the first year. According to MCI, 'AETCOM' will train the students to communicate with patients efficiently and help them avoid any miscommunication with the patients/patients' family.
With the introduction of elective papers, the new syllabus gives the students the freedom to choose subjects of their choice. Keeping up with the global scientific advances and emerging diseases, subjects and topics have also been added or removed depending upon their relevance to current times. The new course will also focus on counselling patients and their relatives about organ donation and making them aware of its benefits.
Many educationalists have welcomed the changes to the classroom-rote based learning techniques imposed by the previous syllabus and say a 'dynamic curriculum' is crucial for the progression of the healthcare industry in our country.
