Community Medicine

Community Medicine deals with promotion of health and prevention of diseases, involving people’s participation. This subject will help to inculcate a holistic view of health and medical interventions primarily focused at the grass root level. It will enable the learners to acquire knowledge, skills, competencies in primary health care, community diagnosis, health needs assessment, epidemiological assessment, control of outbreaks/epidemics, research and planning evidence-based health policies and programmes.

Vision

• To excel in community-oriented medical education, integrating a comprehensive approach to preventive, promotive, and curative community health care, and research.

Mission

• To create socially conscious physicians who can provide comprehensive and holistic primary healthcare services to individuals and communities, with a focus on preventive and promotive healthcare.
• To provide high-quality education and training to undergraduate and postgraduate students in conducting community-based research, with an emphasis on identifying and addressing health disparities and the social determinants of health.

Objectives

• To provide high-quality community-oriented medical education to undergraduate and postgraduate medical students so that they become competent and compassionate physicians capable of providing comprehensive care to individuals and communities.
• To foster the development of socially conscious physicians who are committed to addressing health disparities and promoting health equity through their clinical practice, advocacy, and community engagement.
• To provide preventive, promotive, and curative services to the community through community outreach centers and outreach activities, with a focus on addressing the health needs of underserved and marginalized populations.
• To conduct socially relevant field-based research that addresses the health challenges faced by the community, with an emphasis on identifying innovative and sustainable solutions that can be implemented at the local and national levels.
• To facilitate the implementation of National Health Programmes, working closely with the government and other stakeholders to ensure that these programs are effectively implemented and achieve their intended impact.

Academic Programs run by the Department

• Undergraduate medical training (MBBS) - 5 1/2 years, providing comprehensive education in the principles and practices of community-oriented primary health care.
• Post-graduation in Community Medicine (MD) - 3 years, with an annual intake of four MD seats, providing in-depth training in community-based care, research, and public health.

Best practices in Undergraduate teaching:

• Use of Participatory Approaches like Focus Group Discussions and Participatory Mapping for Community Diagnosis
• Student Research Projects to impart basic research skills to undergraduate students
• Family Adoption Programme in collaboration with Rural Health Care and Development Centre(RHCDC)

Facilities

• Public health museum: A museum with displays of public health models, charts and posters that highlight the significant contributions of scientists towards advances in public health, providing a valuable educational resource for students and visitors alike.
• Departmental library cum seminar hall: A library with an extensive collection of books and journals related to public health and community medicine, which is used by postgraduates and faculty. The library also doubles as a seminar hall for academic discussions and presentations.
• Demonstration rooms: Two spacious demonstration rooms where teaching programs and practical classes for undergraduate and postgraduate students are conducted, providing a hands-on learning experience.
• Public health laboratory: A laboratory equipped to conduct public health procedures, such as water and milk analysis, for undergraduate and postgraduate practical classes.
• Research laboratory: A well-equipped laboratory with computers and instruments of public health importance, providing an ideal environment for faculty and postgraduates to conduct research in community medicine and public health.

Community engagement

Outreach heath care services are being delivered through the collaborations with Anganwadis, religious organizations and youth clubs in the urban and rural field practices areas on designated days of a week.

Department has collaborations with Mangalore City Corporation, Gram Panchayat, Harekala, Urban Primary Health Centres (Bunder, Jeppu and Yekkuru) and government primary health centres in rural areas of Mangaluru (Amblamogaru, Boliyar and Kurnad) for provision of health care services and conduct of multi specialty health camps. All the important days of public health relevance are observed and we actively participate in National health Programs in these areas.

Partnerships and collaborations

The department has successfully executed academic, research and service delivery related collaborations with The UNION, Indian Council of Medical Research, Tata Education and Development Trust, National TB Elimination Programme Karnataka State Task Force, Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), Karnataka Association of Community Health (KACH), Inter collegiate academic postgraduate program (IAPP), Samanway Research and Development Foundation.

Internal collaborations include Rural Health Care and Development Centre (RHCDC), Yen Onco Centre, Yenepoya Foundation of Technology Incubation, Yen-FDC and Yenepoya Dental College