scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Medical Education in India and its Scope on Distance Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-73
Author(s):  
Kondeti Madhavi ◽  
Pasupuleti Visweswara Rao

   The year 2020 was frightened with the fight against unprecedented Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic situations which impacted extreme changes in everyone’s lives. Particularly healthcare system was not ready to tackle public health emergencies on immediate declaration of COVID-19 outbreak by World Health Organization (WHO), later the lockdown situations have helped a lot to tackle the situations worldwide. Coming to the medical education in India, there are 272 government medical colleges with teaching hospitals and 260 private medical colleges including deemed universities in India, a good asset to India. Total of 76,928 of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students were getting admitted in to the colleges every year with an average intake of 150-250 students per college and per year. The COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened distance & e-Learning worldwide. Distance & e-Learning is defined as application of computer technology to deliver training, including technology-supported learning either online, offline, or both. This technology has also helped a lot to the medical education across the world including India. 

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma Khalid ◽  
Najibul Haq ◽  
Zia-ul-Ain Sabiha ◽  
Abdul Latif ◽  
Muhammad Amjad Khan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hospital waste management (HWM) practices are the core need to run a proper health care facility. This study encompasses the HWM practices in teaching hospitals of Peshawar, Pakistan and examine the enforcement of Pak HWM (2005) rules and risks through transmission of pathogens via blood fluids, air pollution during waste incineration and injuries occurring in conjunction with open burning and dumping. Methods A questionnaire based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations was used to survey the selected private and public teaching hospital (n = 16). Site visits and personnel observations were also included in the data. It was spatio-statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics, Krushkal-wallis and Fisher’s exact tests. Results The findings revealed that the lack of HWM practices in all surveyed hospitals (p > 0.05), besides statistical difference (p < 0.017) in waste generation/day. No proper segregation of waste from generation point to final disposal was practiced. However, the performance of private teaching hospitals (50%) was found better in terms of HWM personnel and practices. In surveyed hospitals, only nine hospitals (56.3%) were found with the incinerator facility while rest of the hospitals (43.7%) practiced open dumping. Moreover, operational parameters of the incinerators were not found satisfactory and located in densely populated areas and emitting hazardous gases. Conclusion Proper HWM practices are not being followed in the light of WHO guidelines. Hospital waste impose serious menace to healthcare workers and to nearby population. WHO issued documents for improving HWM practices but triggered no change in Pakistan. To improve the situation, insights in this context is need for enforcement of rules.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Hirt ◽  
Perrine Janiaud ◽  
Lars G. Hemkens

AbstractBackgroundNumerous non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were taken worldwide to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed at providing an overview of randomized trials assessing NPIs to prevent COVID-19.MethodsWe included all randomized trials assessing NPIs to prevent COVID-19 in any country and setting registered in ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform using the COVID-evidence platform (until 17 August 2021). We searched for corresponding publications in MEDLINE/PubMed, Google Scholar, the Living Overview of Evidence platform (L-OVE), and the Cochrane COVID-19 registry as well as for results posted in registries.ResultsWe identified 41 randomized trials. Of them, 11 were completed (26.8%) including 7 with published results. The 41 trials planned to recruit a median of 1,700 participants (IQR, 588 to 9,500, range 30 to 35,256,399) with a median planned duration of 8 months (IQR, 3 to 14, range 1 to 24). Most came from the United States (n=11, 26.8%). The trials mostly assessed protective equipment (n=11, 26.8%), COVID-19-related information and education programs (n=9, 22.0%), access to mass events under specific safety measures (n=5, 12.2%), testing and screening strategies (n=5, 12.2%), and hygiene management (n=5, 12.2%).ConclusionsWorldwide, 41 randomized trials assessing NPIs have been initiated with published results available to inform policy decisions for only 7 of them. A long-term research agenda including behavioral, environmental, social, and systems level interventions is urgently needed to guide policies and practices in the current and future public health emergencies.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-134
Author(s):  
Julian H. Fisher

The recent shift of funding emphasis on the part of the World Health Organization, turning from research orientation to provision of practical delivery systems, highlights the divergence of goals which must be established for the medical "haves" and "have-nots"—the developed and the developing world countries. The same orientation applies as well to schema for medical education in these two worlds, and the implications were impressed upon me last year in what I would somewhat facetiously label a tale of two doctors, reviewing experiences I had with two American-trained native physicians in a Latin country. Having reflected at length on a year away from familiar North American medicine, weighing the new experiences in the light of the old, I find that these two professional pathways illustrate the developed world's gifts of foreign medical aid (educational assistance) and the developing world's utilization of those grants.


Author(s):  
Roojin Habibi ◽  
Steven J. Hoffman ◽  
Gian Luca Burci ◽  
Thana Cristina de Campos ◽  
Danwood Chirwa ◽  
...  

Abstract The International Health Regulations (ihr), of which the World Health Organization is custodian, govern how countries collectively promote global health security, including prevention, detection, and response to global health emergencies such as the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. Countries are permitted to exercise their sovereignty in taking additional health measures to respond to such emergencies if these measures adhere to Article 43 of this legally binding instrument. Overbroad measures taken during recent public health emergencies of international concern, however, reveal that the provision remains inadequately understood. A shared understanding of the measures legally permitted by Article 43 is a necessary step in ensuring the fulfillment of obligations, and fostering global solidarity and resilience in the face of future pandemics. In this consensus statement, public international law scholars specializing in global health consider the legal meaning of Article 43 using the interpretive framework of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.


2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (04) ◽  
pp. 179-193
Author(s):  
Shridhar Sharma ◽  
Gautam Sharma

ABSTRACTIndia, a country with rich cultural and health care heritage has progressed by leaps and bounds since independence. The health indices have improved and mortality and morbidity have come down significantly. The health care system of India is a mix of public and private sector. In 2017, there are 479 medical colleges in India with admission capacity of over 60,000 at the undergraduate level. The pattern of modern medical education is modeled after the British system and the first few medical schools were established in 19th century. Medical Council of India (MCI), the government-mandated regulatory agency for medical education, was formed in 1934. The Government of India is regularly reviewing the existing medical education policy to give it a new direction so as to make the curriculum relevant and responsive to the national needs. The MCI has also recognized the need to reduce the artificial compartmentalization of the curriculum into preclinical, para-clinical and clinical disciplines. Horizontal and vertical integration is being promoted but not practiced in most medical colleges. Instruction remains teacher-based and not much emphasis has been laid on self-directed learning. There is a paucity of innovative approaches and lack of adapting the recent technology into most medical schools in India. Skills such as related to communication and managerial domains, and professionalism are not imparted in the current curriculum. While the level of knowledge in the medical sciences is highly unsatisfactory, medical graduates are often found to be lacking in the clinical skills. So far, attempts to introduce innovations in medical education have been limited to certain institutions. Also, there is lack of adequate motivation and opportunities for faculty development. It is strongly felt that there is a need to redefine the goals of medical education in India depending upon the needs of the society. MCI has recently attempted designing a need-based curriculum. At present, medical education in India is at a significant juncture with initiatives coming from both external and internal influences, and the political will to attain the goal of health for all, India hopes to be in a better position to prepare physicians for the 21st century.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Weisz ◽  
Beata Nannestad

Abstract Background This article presents a history of efforts by the World Health Organization and its most important ally, the World Federation for Medical Education, to strengthen and standardize international medical education. This aspect of WHO activity has been largely ignored in recent historical and sociological work on that organization and on global health generally. Methods Historical textual analysis is applied to the digitalized archives and publications of the World Health Organization and the World Federation for Medical Education, as well as to publications in the periodic literature commenting on the standardization of international medical training and the problems associated with it. Results Efforts to reform medical training occurred during three distinct chronological periods: the 1950s and 1960s characterized by efforts to disseminate western scientific norms; the 1970s and 1980s dominated by efforts to align medical training with the WHO’s Primary Healthcare Policy; and from the late 1980s to the present, the campaign to impose global standards and institutional accreditation on medical schools worldwide. A growing number of publications in the periodic literature comment on the standardization of international medical training and the problems associated with it, notably the difficulty of reconciling global standards with local needs and of demonstrating the effects of curricular change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (Special1) ◽  
pp. 198-200
Author(s):  
Olayinka Stephen Ilesanmi ◽  
Aanuoluwapo Adeyimika Afolabi

Background: The declaration of COVID-19 as a public health emergency by the World Health Organization necessitated countries across the globe to implement response and mitigation measures. We aimed to assess the Nigerian government's response following six months of detection of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Methods: A narrative review of existing literature on the topic was done. The authors' opinion as experts supporting the COVID-19 pandemic response was included. The review and opinion were summarized, covering six months of the outbreak response in Nigeria. Results: Contact tracing commenced after identifying the index case of COVID-19 in Nigeria but has been faced with challenges such as inadequate equipment and shortage of funds. School closure was implemented barely three weeks after detecting the index case, but the resumption of terminal classes has been announced recently. The Nigerian government implemented restrictions on gatherings involving up to 11 people after three weeks following the detection of the index case of COVID-19. The lack of enforcement and supervision of gatherings and public events made many individuals disregard the restriction measures. Lockdowns on religious gatherings and public events have been recently eased nationwide, and regulatory measures have been put in place. The Nigerian government implemented bans on international travel from all countries, especially high-risk countries. However, the existence of porous borders limited success, which could have been obtained from the travel ban. Conclusion: COVID-19 mitigation measures should be implemented and reinforced as required nationwide and get provided the needed support.   References World Health Organization. COVID-19 public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) global research and innovation forum, 2020 February 12. In: WHO 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/covid-19-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern-(pheic)-global-research-and-innovation-forum [Accessed on 26 August 2020].] European centre for disease prevention and control. COVID-19 situation updates worldwide, as of 26 August 2020. In: ECDC 2020. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases [ Accessed on 26 August 2020].] Nigeria centre for disease control. COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria situation report. Abuja. In: NCDC. 2020 Contract No.: S/N: 001. Available from: https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/ [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Ogundele K. UPDATED: FG places travel ban on China, Italy, US, UK, nine others. Punch Newspapers, 2020 Mar 18. Available from: https://punchng.com/breaking-fg-places-travel-ban-on-china-italy-us-uk-others/ [ Accessed on 26 August 2020] Presidential task force on COVID-19. Available from: https://statehouse.gov.ng/covid19/ [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Okunola A. 5 Challenges facing health care workers in Nigeria as they tackle COVID-19. On 9 June 2020. In: Global citizen. Available from: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/challenges-for-health-care-workers-nigeria-covid/ [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Sessou E. COVID-19: Why we provided testing kits in Kano- ADF. 2020 May 8. In: Vanguard. Available from: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/covid-19-why-we-provided-testing-kits-in-kano-adf/ [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Ilesanmi OS, Afolabi AA. Time to move from vertical to horizontal approach in our COVID-19 response in Nigeria. SciMed J. 2020; 2:28-29. https://doi.org/10.28991/SciMedJ-2020-02-S1-3. Olisa C. Covid-19: FG orders immediate shut down of all schools. 2020 March 20. In: Naira Metrics [Internet]. Available at: https://nairametrics.com/2020/03/20/covid-19-fg-orders-immediate-shut-down-of-all-schools/ [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Adejayan G. COVID-19: Lagos decontaminates schools for partial resumption. On 1 August 2020 [cited 26 August 2020]. In: Within Nigeria. Available from: https://www.withinnigeria.com/2020/08/01/covid-19-lagos-decontaminates-public-schools-for-partial-resumption/ [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Oyetimi K, Adewakun A. E-learning: How COVID-19 is reshaping education in Nigeria. On 10 April 2020. Publish In: MSN. Available at: https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/e-learning-how-covid-19-is-reshaping-education-in-nigeria/ar-BB12pMEd [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Hale T, Webster S, Petherick A, Phillips T, Kira B. Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, Blavatnik School of Government. 2020 March 21. In: Our World in Data. Oxford COVID-19 government response tracker. Available from: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/public-gathering-rules-covid?year=2020-08-26&time=2020-01-01.2020-08-04&region=Africa [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Lagos police command enforces ban on social gatherings to prevent spread of coronavirus. On 22 March 2020. In Vanguard. Available from: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/03/lagos-police-command-enforces-ban-on-social-gatherings-to-prevent-spread-of-coronavirus/ [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Donohue JM, Miller E. COVID-19 and School Closures. JAMA. 2020;324(9):845-847. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.13092 Sahara Reporters. Nigerian government lifts ban on religious gatherings, reduces curfew hours. On 1 June 2020. In: Sahara Reporters. Available from: http://saharareporters.com/2020/06/01/nigerian-government-lifts-ban-religious-gatherings-reduces-curfew-hours [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. COVID-19: Lagos reels out guidelines for reopening of Mosques, Churches. On 6 August 2020. In: Vanguard. Available from: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/08/covid-19-lagos-reels-out-guidelines-for-reopening-of-mosques-churches/ [Accessed on 26 August 2020]. Vanguard. Porous borders, cause of rise in COVID-19 cases — FG. On 3 April 2020. In: Vanguard [internet]. 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