Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences

Location

The institute is located in Sevagram, a small village about 8 km from the city of Wardha. It is well connected with other parts of the country by rail and road links.

History

The MGIMS was born in 1969, the Gandhi centenary year. It is the first rural medical college in India. It was started by Dr Sushila Nayyar. The institute takes pride in the fact that its Kasturba Hospital, started in 1944, is the only hospital started by the Father of the Nation himself.

Academics

The courses offered by the institute are

Admissions

The institute enrolls 100 students every year. Half of them are from the state of Maharashtra and the other half come from the rest of India. The institute has special reservations for students from rural areas of the country. The institute holds its own premedical test(PMT) examination, which includes a multiple choice questions test on Physics, Chemistry and Biology and a special theory paper on Gandhian Thoughts. The students are selected on the basis of the marks obtained in these exams.

Postgraduate courses

The institute offers Post graduate training in almost all important disciplines of medical science. Admission to these course is based on merit based on the 4 year of undergraduation marks, no post ug test is conducted.

In order to be eligible for the Post Graduate seat in the institute, the student must undergo 2 years of rural service. The institute has numerous centers all across India where students can work as Medical Officers.

Kasturba Hospital

The Kasturba Hospital was started in 1945 by Sushila Nayar, close associate of Gandhi and his personal physician. It is a 770-bed hospital (and is to become a 1000-bed hospital), located in Sevagram, about 8 km from Wardha town, and offers tertiary care healthcare facilities to rural patients.

Research

To conduct facility- as well as community-based research in areas like maternal, neonatal, and child health care, infectious diseases, nutritional illnesses, lifestyle disorders etc.

To explore traditional systems of Indian medicine.

Lead center for State Level Monitoring of ICDS

The Department of Community Medicine has been designated the lead center for State Level Monitoring of ICDS activities in Maharashtra. Dr BS Garg, Dr Subodh S Gupta and Dr PR Deshmukh have been appointed State ICDS Consultants. They monitored the activities of ICDS in six districts of Maharashtra during the year 2008–09; viz. Wardha, Yavatmal, Amravati, Chandrapur, Akola, and Buldhana. They also coordinated the monitoring of ICDS activities throughout the state conducted by selected medical colleges identified for this purpose.

Clinical Epidemiology Unit

The Clinical Epidemiology Unit was expanded to include more members after it got approved by IndiaCLEN. The Clinical Epidemiology Unit started its first activity with a capacity building program of its members. The unit has also started an orientation program for all the new post-graduate students who take admission at MGIMS, Sevagram.

Medical Orientation Camp

The newly admitted students spend 15 days in the Sevagram Ashram for the orientation to the Gandhian way of life. They follow the Ashram rules during these days. Some activities include Shramdan and spinning khadi. There are lectures from people from various runs of life.

First Professional

The students study the subjects of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry in the first year as per the MCI guidelines.

Social Service camp

Every batch of medical students is allotted a small village from around Wardha. The students stay in that village for 15 days. Each student is allotted a certain number of families. He is responsible for the health concerns of all its members. The students spend this time giving health information to their families. They also learn a great deal about the real problems of the rural masses. The villagers are all given a free health checkup and are investigated for basic infections like malaria and filaria.

The students continue to visit this village for 3 years, once every month.

Second Professional

The second professional lasts for a year and half. The students are supposed to study Pharmacology, Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine. With the start of the second professional, the clinical postings also start.

Re-Orientation to Medical Education Camp

The Re-Orientation to Medical Education or ROME camp is held at the end of second professional. It was previously held at the Kasturba Rural Health Training Center (KRHTC) at Aanji. Since 2008, it is being held at Rural Health Training center (RHTC) at Bhidi. This is a 15-day exercise where students learn aspects of Public Health and get hands on experience of the rural India.

Third Professional

The third professional is two years long, and is divided into two parts.

Part I

This lasts for 1 year. The students study Ophthalmology, ENT and Preventive Medicine

Part II

This is the last academic year. The students study medicine (including dermatology and psychiatry), surgery (including orthopaedics), obstetrics & gynaecology and paediatrics.

Internship

If the student passes the final professional, he is awarded a provisional degree in Medicine and Surgery. He is supposed to undergo 1 year of rotational internship to qualify for the MBBS degree.

Gandhian Principles

The institute is unique in following the Gandhian Principles.

Khadi

All the students and staff wear khadi. It brings about a unique rich culture in the Institute.

Shram Daan

The staff and the students participate in shram daan.

Vegetarianism

The institute follows a strict vegetarianism policy

Prohibition

Alcohol consumption is prohibited in the Institute.