Family Adoption Program, A Way Forward to Community Based Medical Education…. Challenges Ahead

Abstract

Medical education in India is based predominantly on hospital environments and specialist services covering a narrow spectrum of health problems, with especially dependent on technology. A significant reorientation is needed in medical education, to allow students to understand people in their social contexts in a more holistic way, rather than seeing them merely as parts of a biological machine.1 National Medical Commission (NMC) in their recent notification included Family Adoption Program (FAP) in the undergraduate curriculum to provide a learning opportunity towards community-based health care to Indian Medical Graduates.2 The NMC documented its vision as “to provide for medical education system that improves access to quality and affordable medical education, ensures availability of adequate and high-quality medical professionals in all parts of the country; that promotes equitable and universal health care that encourages community health perspective and makes services of medical professionals accessible to all citizens; that promotes national health goal.”

Family Adoption Program for Undergraduate Medical Students at a New Medical School of Jharkhand: An Experience and SWOC Analysis

“…One of them is Jawahar Lal Institute of Medical Sciences (JLIMS), AMU, Aligarh. [ 9 ] At this institute, Punjipu village was adopted and each medical student would be adopting three to five families to monitor their health conditions regularly and advise them accordingly. This program will ensure enhanced health-care services in rural areas.…”

“…[ 7 ] As per the program, five families must be adopted by each medical student in their first year, for whom they will monitor the general health and advice family members on health-related issues and point of seeking care, accompanying them to hospitals, and continue to follow-up until their final MBBS part one, under the guidance of faculty. [ 8 9 ]…”