• Dr Ramesh Reddy, DME, Telangana; inaugurates the lab.

• Skill Lab is a prototype demo & learning facility for health care professionals to fine tune their clinical skills.

The iconic Osmania Medical College, launched the first of its kind ‘Skill Lab’ in Telangana; at its campus in Koti, today. Chief Guest Dr K Ramesh Reddy, Director of Medical Education, Telangana; inaugurated the Skill Lab, a much awaited mile stone in the history of the institute. Dr P Shashikala Reddy, Principal, Osmania Medical College; presided over the function. Dr Anuradha Medoju, Regional Director (MofH & FW) and Dr. Pandu Naik, Nodal Officer, Skill lab; graced the occasion. Skill Lab is a prototype demo and learning facility for health care professionals to fine tune their clinical skills, prior to real life application.

The Skill Lab is funded by the Department of Human Research, Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Government of India under National Emergency Life Support. It will cater to nearly 500 undergraduates and postgraduates and several hundred para medical technicians every year. The Lab is a valuable platform for medical professionals to practice procedural skills like Trauma management, Basic life support, Paediatric emergency, Obstetrics emergency and acute cardiac management.

Dr K Ramesh Reddy speaking on the occasion said, in our training programs the hands on skills which we need to tackle emergency cases is really lacking in many of our colleagues, it is something which is very important. When we were students these type of labs were not available and literally we used to get trained in the casualty. It was a different attitude at that time. The education of the younger generation has shifted from skill learning to bookish learning, they are more dependent on volumes of literature available to them. They are not showing interest in the treatment of the patients, that will make a lot of difference in the days to come in the overall medical management. We need to take this very seriously and all the departments, especially the clinical departments should ensure proper training of the students in emergency skills. This is one area which is dynamic and few minutes could make or break the situation. One has to be very active and try to tackle so that we will be able to save a life and give a quality life which is equally important. If it is delayed, the individual goes into a vegetative state, imagine the torture for the family. Here the skill labs will make lot of difference. As per our university program all the House Surgeons are trained in Basic Life support. But it’s a very short structured program, how many are concentrating on it and more over this course is conducted at the end of the course, because it becomes mandatory, it needs a certificate. That shouldn’t be the way, what I suggest is these training should be done at the time when they finish their final year and ready to go for internship. Because internship is the real training ground for all of us and that is where especially management of trauma, the critical care skills, need to be structured in such a manner that respective departments train the students so that they will be able to put their skills to proper use. The Government of Telangana is very serious about mass training of CPR. You would have seen our Hon’ble ministers Harish Rao garu and KTR garu, conducted the inaugural program for CPR at different levels. The genesis of this skill labs was to not only train the doctors, paramedics, Asha workers involved in the medical system but also police and sanitary workers should be trained in these skills. State government is procuring mannequins so that programs can be done in different sections. For that this training is very important, because if you don’t have proper trainers this program will be total waste. We need to have properly trained trainers available in good numbers in every nook and corner of the state, so that even the mass CPR program can be done for common masses too on regular basis. Off late, we are seeing young people dying, they are just collapsing and dying, some of them could benefit from a proper CPR at the right time. Similar Skill Lab facility will be shortly made available at Gandhi, Kakatiya Medical College, Nizamabad and Siddipet, also shortly will seek sanction for all the 17 medical colleges in the government sector in Telangana. Government of India has given a structured training program, without any deviation from that, a proper training program has to be held. Even the upgradation of Training the trainers program should be done at regular intervals, which is also important. Ensure that initially we cover all the areas which have no established medical colleges, all the medical professionals and workers from the neighbourhood areas can be brought and trained there. The training programs should be for small groups so that proper skills can be imparted, such trainings will go a long way. The level of training should also differ, a higher level training for doctors and simpler training for medical workers. This particular centre In Osmania will be a role model for other centres in the days to come.              

Speaking on this Occasion, Principal, Osmania Medical College Dr P Shashikala Reddy said, Our students will now be able to proficiently manage surgical, cardiac and obstetric emergencies with greater efficiency and skill. Those undergoing training will be awarded nationally recognised training Certificate from this facility, which is mandatory for every Indian Medical Graduate. With this facility Osmania students will be one of the best in dealing with the emergencies.

A five day Training of Trainers, is being hosted for the first time in Telangana; from 13^th to 17^th March, 2023; for Medical, Surgical, Paediatric, Anaesthetic and Obstetrics speciality doctors from Govt Medical College, Nizamabad; Gandhi Medical College, Guntur Medical College and Kakatiya Medical College.