‘Adopt a family,’ a Gandhian ideal followed by Sevagram hospital, inspires NMC. Here’s what the programme does

The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) was established in 1969 as the first rural medical school in India, coinciding with the centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth. Founded by Dr Sushila Nayar, who had a close association with Gandhi and served as India’s Union health minister from 1962 to 1967, MGIMS aimed to address the healthcare challenges faced by rural and underprivileged communities.

PREMIUM

Initially admitting 60 students, the medical school increased its annual intake to 100 students starting 2012, and also introduced postgraduate programs in all subjects. It provides medical care to approximately 800,000 outpatients and 50,000 inpatients every year. Close to 3,500 students have been trained here since its establishment.

Dr. Nayar’s vision was to create awareness among medical students about the realities and hardships faced by rural communities. She believed in the philosophy of sensitising students from an early stage to go to the people, live with them, learn from them, love them, and start with what they knew and build with what they had.

In 1969, the first batch of medical students was sent to Sevagram village for a fortnight, where they experienced firsthand the challenges and lifestyle of rural communities. This initiative, named Social Service Camp, has become a tradition at MGIMS and continues to this day.

Each year, MGIMS adopts a new village for its undergraduate medical students. Three months after admission to the MBBS course, all students are taken to the village for a 15-day social service camp, where they live with the villagers in makeshift dormitories set-up in various settings, including primary schools, Gram Panchayats (village councils) halls or community halls. The students are allocated three-six families, ‘adopting’ them to conduct socio-demographic, dietary, and health appraisals. They learn about family and community diagnosis and prepare comprehensive reports that contribute to ongoing research and the healthcare knowledge base.

The community diagnosis created by the students serves as a valuable resource for the village and healthcare professionals at MGIMS. It provides insights into the community’s specific health needs and priorities, informing future healthcare initiatives and interventions. Additionally, the students work closely with their adopted families, addressing various health issues such as nutrition, vaccination, maternal and child care, diabetes, blood pressure, stress, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol dependence. This allows the community to have a clear understanding of the health challenges they face and participate in the decision-making process regarding their own healthcare.

The community diagnosis created by the students serves as a valuable resource for the village and the healthcare professionals at MGIMS. It provides insights into the specific health needs and priorities of the community, which can inform future healthcare initiatives and interventions.

In alignment with their family diagnosis, the students identify problems in each of their adopted families and specific objectives are established which are to be achieved over the next three and a half years. Various areas of health are addressed such as nutrition, vaccination, care of the mother and child, diabetes, blood pressure, stress, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol dependence. The students work with the families to provide education, support, and interventions to improve their health and well-being. During the process, the students get so much acquainted with the families as if they are the members of the adopted families. The students follow up these families every month in their monthly field visit till they graduate.

Students also conduct monthly field visits where they engage in discussions with their adopted family over specific health topics, transferring their knowledge to the families. By doing so, they end up contributing to the health literacy and awareness of the families they are working with. The students also keep a track of their objectives to be achieved in each family and work towards accomplishing those during the monthly field visits by a problem solving approach for the identified problems in their respective families. During these visits, an outpatient department is set up, providing medical treatment to the villagers.

The students also engage with village functionaries such as ASHA workers (Accredited Social Health Activists), Anganwadi workers (community health workers), ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives), and Sarpanchs (village headpersons), gaining insights into public health and understanding the roles of different stakeholders in promoting well-being.

As the students progress, they develop into family physicians, maintaining journals of family studies and documenting their interactions and experiences. These journals prove invaluable during the examination in Community Medicine in their final year of MBBS. In fact, the university examination for Community Medicine is conducted in one of the adopted families.

The initiative at MGIMS allows students to contribute to the health and well-being of individuals and families in rural communities while fostering their own learning and growth as future healthcare professionals. It instills a sense of social responsibility, empathy, and a lifelong connection between the students and the communities they serve. This programme remains an integral part of MGIMS’ educational curriculum, shaping socially conscious and skilled healthcare professionals.

Dr SP Kalantri is a professor of medicine, MGIMS. The views expressed are personal.