Certification in Tropical Medicine is akin to an upskilling programme for doctors – Times of India

Need for the specialisation

Dr Nonika Rajkumari, additional professor, Department of Microbiology, JIPMER, Puducherry and course coordinator (JIPMER hat) for GHHM (South Asia), says that tropical diseases refer to a group of disorders, which remain largely neglected by the medical community. “India is home to several tropical diseases, which mostly affect people living in rural and far-flung areas. If treated timely, patients suffering from many of these diseases can be cured. Thus, there is need to spread awareness about formal education in Tropical Diseases,” she says.

Available options for education

Presently, education in Tropical Diseases is clubbed with general medical training, says Dr Rajesh Nachiappa Ganesh, professor, Department of Pathology, JIPMER, Puducherry. “Formal education in Tropical Diseases is an amalgamation of laboratory based diagnostic training and clinical training. In India, specialised training in the field is provided at few colleges, where students can pursue and obtain a Doctorate of Medicine (DM) in Infectious Diseases,” he says.

A certificate course in Tropical Diseases is an apt way to raise awareness and increase medical students’ interest in the field, he adds.

Since 2017, MSF has been providing a ten-month long certificate course (GHHM), says Dr Swati Nanda, course coordinator, GHHM (South Asia). “MBBS students who have finished their internship and have a minimum of two years of work experience are eligible. The course uses a combination of training methods, including weekly webinars, group activities discussing real life scenarios, and three days parasitological lab training programmes at the three partner institutes of CMC Vellore, JIPMER Puducherry, and Manipal Institute of Health Education,” she says.

The Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine serves as the primary textbook to teach students. “Training generally revolves around understanding each of the tropical diseases in detail, including the areas it affects, its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options. The idea is to help students become ready to deal with patients as soon as the course concludes,” adds Dr Rajkumari.

Till 2021, the course had 60 seats for students from Asian countries, which is set to be increased to 80 this year, says Dr Nanda. “Since 2017, a total of 128 Indian students have been a part of this course,” she adds. Once students complete the course, they become eligible for the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom, she says.

Advantages for experts

Dr Ganesh and Dr Kumar agree that as experts in the field, it is extremely satisfactory to be able to treat patients who may not have access to the financial funds required for appropriate treatment. Dr Kumar says, “As a medical practitioner dealing with tropical diseases, this is never an issue and it lends great satisfaction to see patients get treated in a timely manner.”

Dr Ganesh adds that since majority of these diseases are treatable, the high mortality rate affords doctors with great satisfaction, something which is missing in various other specialisations.

Dr Farhat Mantoo, director general, MSF South Asia, says, “Many mid-career doctors serve in remote parts of the country with massive workload and rarely get an opportunity to upskill their academic knowledge and invest in continuous medical education. GHHMC bring high-quality, flexible and blended experiential learning course to such professionals.” Dr Rajkumari stresses, “Since mid-level doctors have already made a name for themselves in their chosen specialisations, this training and the humanitarian work that follows allows them to divulge and feel satisfied about treating the neglected sections of society. The course acts as a way of upskilling for these doctors.”