At diamond jubilee celebrations, current students told to get their basics right
Students pose with their gold medals. (Photo: DC/File)
Hyderabad: The members of the Gandhi Medical College Global Alliance have already collected $60,000, and are aiming to collect $1million, to provide students with better facilities and also improve the quality of education.
This was announced at the diamond jubilee celebrations of Gandhi Medical College on Sunday. Interestingly, the alumni from 1965 to 1977, who are working hard to collect this money, acquired their medical education in sheds in the erstwhile Gandhi Medical College at Basheerbagh.
Most of them saw the new Gandhi Medical Coll-ege premises for the first time. Dr Suresh Bekal, of the 1963 batch, said, “I left for the US in 1973. I have come specially for this function to meet my old batchmates. Whenever any one of us returned to India, it was for personal reasons. However, this time, we have only come for the college that made us what we are today. We are very happy with the infrastructure, but there is a need for better maintenance.”
Dr Bhoomigari Mohan Rao, of 1977 batch, who is now the vice-principal at Kakatiya Medical College, said, “In our time, was only the anatomy room was good, as the subject had important lectures. A lot of stress was laid on anatomy and on knowing the various functions of the body. We had only two lecture halls apart from the anatomy room. But we got a very good foundation in basic science. We were taught to clinically evaluate the patient.”
Dr Bekal, along with other batchmates, said, “Our foundation was so strong that in the US, other doctors were very impress-ed. While science has advanced and there is a greater use of technology these days, the basics must not be ignored.”
Dr C. Marthand, of 1963 batch, who runs a nursing home in Alwal, recalled, “In the 1960s, we were given the expertise to understand the sounds that the body emits. A cardiac murmur would give us the idea of whe-ther there is a blockage or not. Now, if there is chest pain, people are simply referred to get tests done.”
Dr Murli Krishna of the 1968 batch has been doing research in molecular biology at the National Institute of Occupational Safety in Health. The alumni, both in India and abroad, want the current students to understand and evaluate basic science and not get carried away by technology. Dr Prabhakar Sharma, president of the Global Alliance, said, “We want to help today’s students by ensuring better education and also help those who are looking for opportunities abroad.”
Dr Sita M. Yerramalli, a hematologist-oncologist from 1970 batch, in New Jersey, said, “The aim of the alumni is to work towards training and also exchanging information on treatment.”
We too had integrated medicine: ex-students:
Dr G. Bal Reddy and Dr Ranga Chary studied medicine for eight years doing diploma courses in Ayurveda, before gaining entry into the Gandhi Medi-cal College at Basheer-bagh. In 1970, after doing various courses in medicine, they got admission directly in the third year of MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery).
Dr G. Bal Reddy says, “We ended up studying medicine for 12 years. We were not only good in Allopathy, but also in Ayurveda. For that reason, I got a job at the Government Ayurvedic College and retired as a superintendent from there.”
Dr Ranga Chary, now 85, completed his course along with Dr Reddy and worked as a professor in the college. Dr Reddy, 77, says, “All this talk about integrated medicine was being followed earlier too. That is the reason we were allowed entry into the third year of MBBS. The system which is now being used in some hospitals is good for patient care, because some patients respond to different sets of medicines making their treatment easy and also less painful.”
( Source : dc correspondent )
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