Mumbai: Cooper Hospital has tied up with Palghar district’s Public Health Department to allow medical interns to work in three villages. Along with them, hospital consultants will also visit villages on a need-basis and run outpatient departments.
According to Medical Council of India rules, every MBBS student has to complete a one-year internship programme after their course is over. Of this one year, six months have to be served giving medical care in rural areas. Every medical college is expected to create three primary healthcare centres in rural areas but government organisations like Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have the option of tying up with such healthcare centres as well. BMC’s Cooper Hospital and its Balasaheb Thackeray Medical College have tied up with three such district healthcare centres in Palghar’s Kaaman, Kelve and Satpathi villages.
Sixteen students from the college’s Community Medicine Department will be posted in each village. The group will consist of undergraduate, post-graduate and nursing students. “Besides, our doctors from departments such as gynaecology, paediatrics and medicine will visit these villages once a week to ensure advanced healthcare is provided to them in their own village. They will not have to go to a city for getting medical attention,” said a statement released by the BMC on Friday. If required, they can be admitted to municipal hospitals in Mumbai as well.