The Department of Medical Education, Kerala, has decided to take necessary steps to provide MBBS students from private medical colleges in Kerala with a facility to witness and learn post-mortem procedures at government medical colleges, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
The move came following a Facebook post of Dr Sreelakshmi J, a forensic medicine assistant professor at Dr Moopen's Medical College, Wayanad, explaining the hardships of the students and teachers at the private medical colleges in the state. The Director of the Medical Education Department has been directed to look into this and find a solution immediately.
As per the National Medical Council's (NMC) guidelines, medical students are required to observe 15 postmortem procedures, which is very difficult as only government colleges are allowed to conduct post-mortem procedures in Kerala.
According to Dr Sreelakshmi, it is necessary to provide the students with a facility to witness post-mortem examinations as per the NMC guidelines. "Only 10 postmortem procedures were required to be observed by the MBBS students according to the previous NMC guidelines. It is now upgraded to 15. Another option is a video demonstration. However, video demonstrations are not enough for the students to learn how to perform post-mortem. They require better exposure," she said. Sreelakshmi added that as post-mortem is performed only in government medical colleges in our state, it is difficult for the students of private medical colleges.
Meanwhile, an official with the Department of Medical Education, said that the students of the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) are provided with the facility from 2020. "Apart from the students enrolled in government medical colleges, the students who are pursuing their MBBS degrees from any medical college affiliated with KUHS can observe and learn postmortem procedures at the general and district hospitals in the state. They are required to pay a particular amount as a fee," said the official.
According to him, the government order came in October 2020, and the students were provided with the facility for the last three years.
However, Dr Sreelakshmi said that the facilities in the autopsy rooms of district and general hospitals are limited. "The district hospital or general hospital only performs a limited number of autopsy examinations. Moreover, it might not be carried out every day. We cannot take all students there as there are space limitations as well. Also, in case of any complications, it is referred to medical colleges. Moreover, not all general hospitals have the facility," she said.
She added that the teachers and students of the private medical colleges in the state had been requesting the DME to allow private MBBS students to witness and learn post mortem procedures, and the health minister's statement gives much hope.
In other states, the post-mortem examination is performed even in private medical colleges. Thus, the students get a chance to observe the examination. "Post-mortem procedures in our government medical colleges are excellent. When we have the facility, why should we go to the medical colleges in other states? Even the procedure is not performed in the right way in other states," added Dr Sreelakshmi.
