In a major effort to create middle level healthcare providers in the country, the Union Health Ministry has inked a pact with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to develop a Bridge Course on Community Health on allopathy for nurses and ayurveda practitioners. The course which has already been rolled out in 11 states in the country including Karnataka commences from July 1, 2018.
While the Karnataka Indian Medicine Manufacturers Association (KIMMA) appreciates the merits of the six-month course for nurses, it is highly sceptical if the program would benefit the ayurveda doctors in a positive manner. The association maintains that the entire course focuses on modern medicine, even the faculty in-charge of the course is qualified experts from allopathy backgrounds and hospitals where the students will undergo practical training focused only on modern medicine systems.
The first point of contention is that the curriculum which essentially is devised from an allopathic perspective focuses on health promotion, nutritional assessment, use of basic epidemiology tools morbidity and mortality profiling of community/district reproductive and child health for primary and comprehensive healthcare. These will include acute and simple illnesses of eye, ear, nose, throat, dental and mental health and palliative care. The course will also lay extra emphasis on drug pharmacology, diagnostic skills including physical examination and use of medicines. It will also cover implementation of biomedical waste disposal guidelines and infection control policies. Now these topics have no relevance for a Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) professional even if it increases his perspective of the healthcare science, JSD Pani, president, KIMMA and chairman, Ayurpark Health Care Limited told Pharmabiz.
The objective of the government has been to create a pool of mid-level healthcare providers designated as community health officers (CHOs) and posted at sub-centres which could be developed as health and wellness centres. The government has now communicated to all the state governments to commence the program on schedule.
In order to commence the course, the state government needs to identify adequate number of suitable district hospitals with a bed strength of 100, 200 or 300. In fact, it is one district hospital for 25 candidates as a program study centre. The state government will have to share the details of the hospital by June 10. There is also a need to indicate the suitable and motivated trainers for enrolling as academic counsellors. The call for applications and candidate selection is by June 15, according to the Ministry of Health communication.
The course eligibility is Diploma in Nursing and Bachelor in Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery. The medium of instruction is both English and Hindi for teaching and assessments. The academic year commences from January and July.
The Ministry of Health has indicated that course will allow creation of dedicated teams to contain non communicable diseases. The aim is to ensure availability of suitably trained human resources in rural and remote areas.
According to Pani, this bridge course for nurses may upgrade their knowledge and helps in community healthcare. I am afraid that this bridge course in allopathy for Ayurveda doctors may turn out to be producing more quacks.