Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College to increase PG seats this year: Dean

Shiksha spoke to Prof. Dr. Sunil Natha Mhaske, the Dean of Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College and Hospital. Read here the excerpts from the interview.

What are your focus areas as Dean of Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College and Hospital?

Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College and Hospital is in Maharashtra near Shirdi. So the main area of focus, working as a Dean in rural-based medical college and hospital is the Community Services because we cater largely for people from rural and marginalised area, who don’t have much of health facilities. Secondly, ours is the semi-urban area which is near the industrial sector and as everyone knows in Ahmed Nagar, there are N number of sugar factories. So the problems of the near area people, of people from rural areas and of people in the factories are different. We are focusing on these three sectors along with other sectors. 

As a Dean I am focused on Community Services in these areas. On the academic part, we focus on the research innovations which are useful for community services. For this purpose, we regularly organize the multi-diagnostic camps in each and every village on Saturday and Sunday. Our team go and check all the people. The main motto of our medical college and hospital is to provide doorstep health service and for this our academic teachers along with students are participating. We will take 720-degree feedback from the people including teachers and students (both UG and PG). 720 means, first we take their feedback, again we take action on their feedback and this will be 720 degree in all angle. What we are doing that we are trying to understand whether we are useful to the Community and recipient.

Does the medical college have any plans to increase the number of seats for admission?

Initially, in 2004 our MBBS student intake was 100, and in 2011, we increased MBBS seats to 150 two years before in 2021, we have increased up to 200 seats of MBBS, and gradually in the year 2012, we started the Post graduation in 10 disciplines which are the clinical based disciplines and this year we are again increasing the PG seats in various disciplines because as I said that we regularly conduct multi-diagnostic camps, our hospital workload is too much as we have 990 bed which is near about 1000 beds, we are providing basic health care along with super speciality care. So, there is a lack of manpower in the hospital, that’s why we are increasing the PG seats this year only and UG seats have already increased to the maximum limit i.e. 200 as permitted by NMC.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect the institute and what changes you are observing after the lockdown?

The year 2020 and 2021 was the worst period all over the world due to Covid-19 pandemic. The Medical Fraternity was mostly affected because we were affected also and we also served during that period. Being in the rural area and near to MIDC sector, we had N number of patients in both the waves – first and second. We catered to nearly 1000 patients. We also gave free remdesivir and free health services to patients. So, in all the waves including the Omicron third wave, there was no shortage of oxygen at our hospital. Also, we offered all the required services including the ICU services, basic health care, and also we regularly providing the free of cost vaccines to all the patients whosoever comes to our hospital.

What we observing after the Covid is that once the students get admission to the medical college after Covid, when the students were at home, they are feeling lonely, there are some psychological and psychiatric problems being seen in the UG and PG students' minds. So, we have regularly appointed counsellors along with our psychiatric departments, we are giving counselling to the UG, PG students along with the teaching and non- teaching faculties. So, this was the drawback given by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, along with the drawbacks, there were advantages also, as you know, during Covid, we taught our students in online mode using Zoom, Web X and Google. So, the benefit is that we now we conduct CME Conference and Workshop with faculties from all over the world, they can join in the virtual mode and we are getting the benefits for UG and PG teaching purposes. Also, the Faculty Development Program, which is conducted in online mode, is a gift given during the COVID-19 pandemic period. After the Covid pandemic, people are very much health conscious, they are very sensitive and even on catching small infections they immediately reach the hospital. So, they are very much aware of health care. Also, most of them have taken the insurance, cashless process and these are the plus points of this pandemic.

Which are the research areas of Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College and Hospital?

As I already told you, there are three challenges in our locality, it is a rural area, a sugarcane industrial sector and MIDC sector. So, we are more focused on the Community Sevices which comes under these sectors. Accordingly, we are focusing on research related to respiratory diseases from sugarcane industries and because of rural areas, we are focusing more on malnutrition. So, along with respiratory, and mental health hazards, and community health hazards, we are also focusing on malnutrition.

Tell us about the plans of Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College and Hospital for academic and research collaboration with other institutions.

Till now we have nearly 80 MoUs with various state national and international level. These are mostly related to academic and research-oriented along with health facilities. This is a remote area which is not connected to the train or airport. So, we get the benefits from the good institutions by hiring their faculties and researchers who get the knowledge to faculty, students and non-teaching segments. So, along with the MoUs, which are at various levels, we always insist on expanding these MoUs to all the international levels, so that we can be in touch with good people and good institutes.

NMC is all set to start the National Exit Test (NExT) to replace NEET-PG, FMGE and MBBS finals. What changes it will bring?

I think it is one of the good moves that under one roof all the health sector exams, NExT will come and by doing this streamlined work NExT will be the best step for this health sector and medical graduates. Till now, there are various exams including NEET PG and MBBS finals, and because of this diversity, students are also in a dilemma, and conducting the classes with students is also difficult. This NExT exam, will be a streamlined exam and one window exam for all the students in India. They will follow a single pattern, so the quality of the medical graduates will be the best throughout the world.

Medical students were also protesting against the NExT exam, how do you see this?

I think they have not studied this NExT exam pattern properly, that’s why they are opposing. The thing is the changes are always good and you need to accept them. NMC is taking the good positive step by streamlining this exam pattern. 

Read more:

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