CMC Vellore, CIHS Hyderabad tie-up with Tata to curate online medical training for COVID-19  

The Christian Medical College, Vellore has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis ever since the beginning — not just with treatment like the other hospitals — but by raising funds, distributing medicines for chronic illnesses, some even in remote areas. They can now add one more feather to that hat as they participate in an initiative to curate free online training for medical professionals on COVID-19 Critical Care.

The Tata Trusts and the Tata Group have tied up with two renowned medical institutions, one being CMC and the other Care Institute of Health Sciences (CIHS) Hyderabad to curate this training programme. "We believe that ICU Physicians and Intensivists, specialised in critical care management, will require support of a wider cohort of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff to treat COVID-19 patients. The intent of the training programmes is to meet this need by acquainting non-ICU professionals with the fundamental principles and practices of critical care," the Tata group said.

The curated 22-hour online training programmes are meant for specific staff chosen by identified hospitals and are provided free of cost, a release by the group said. The training includes essentials of interventions and procedures in ICUs, orientation of critical care skills like airway management and ventilator management, and how to triage a criticality as mild, moderate or severe and refer cases to appropriate facilities. The programmes will also cover essentials of managing variegated facilities for COVID-19 management, such as isolation centres, quarantine centres, and management of service areas and patients with mild illness.

The initiative will approach the training through two different methodologies - live webinars or prepared modules accessible on laptops, desktops or mobile phones. The two institutes have different approached - CMC, Vellore will be training and developing master trainers who in turn will coach wider groups in their respective facilities. The Hyderabad institute will directly train smaller groups. "Both the institutions have designed their programmes such that participants can provide the required support to their Intensivist and ICU colleagues should the need arise," the organisers added.