NEED OF PROGRAMME

In India, around 65.5 % of population resides in rural settings (as per 2020 statistics) whereas availability of health care facilities and services are skewed towards urban set ups. Though adequate healthcare supplies exist in the community, it is the access to healthcare to a rural citizen that is a major concern. Issues like health illiteracy, ignorance about communicable and non communicable diseases, means to reach health care facility, services, take time off from their daily wages work and workforce shortages are some of the barriers that limits timely and quality health related awareness and care leading to a scenario of 'Scarcity in abundance'. Hence there is a need to take measures to make healthcare more accessible to the rural and needy population and impart community based and community oriented training to budding healthcare professionals.

AIM

Family adoption program aims to provide an experiential learning opportunity to Dental graduates towards community based health care & Determinants of Oral Health and thereby enhance equity in health.

OBJECTIVE OF THE COURSE

During the Dental UG training program, the learner should be able to :

• Orient the learner towards primary health care.
• Create health & Oral Health related awareness within the community.
• Function as a first point of contact for any health & Oral Health issues within the community.
• Act as a conduit between the population and relevant health & Oral Health care facility.
• Generate and analyze related data for improving health & Oral Health outcomes and Evidence based clinical practices.

SPECIFICS OF THE PROGRAM

Family adoption program is recommended as a part of curriculum of Public Health Dentistry and should begin from 1st professional year with competencies being spread in ascending manner for entire BDS training program.

The orientation towards the same is a part of Introduction course under the theme of 'Field visit to community health centre' (8 hrs).

The family adoption shall preferably include villages not covered under PHCs adopted by Dental college. If transit time from college to site is more than 2 hours, then bastis / jhuggis/ towns on outskirts of cities may be considered for family adoption. Medical & Dental students may be divided into teams and each team may be allocated visits, with 2-5 families per student. These families may be introduced during their first visit; however, the model may be flexible depending upon the number of students and available families for adoption. The entire team should work under a mentor teacher for entire part of the training program.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Every college may arrange one diagnostic medical camp in the village wherein identification of: anemia, malnutrition in children, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart diseases, kidney diseases, Oral Health Problems any other local problems may be addressed. If required, patients shall be admitted in the hospital for acute illness under care of student, charges may be waived off or provide concession or govt. schemes.

For chronic illness, students shall be involved. Subsidized treatment charges may be provided under govt. schemes or welfare schemes. Camps may be arranged by Dean and Community Medicine/ P.S.M. & Department of Public Health Dentistry, Department with active involvement of Associate/ Asst. Professors, social worker and supporting staff. Local population may be involved with village leaders.

Visit by students to the Adopted Village facilitated by the Department of Public Health Dentistry.Annual follow up diagnostic camp can be continued by the PSM department & Department of Public Health Dentistry. As a step towards environment consciousness, students may be encouraged for tree plantation/medicinal plants around beginning of monsoons, in the environs of the families adopted. This could be also included in the environs of the hostels/ residence of students wherever possible. At the end of the programme, students may be envisioned to become leaders for the community.

TARGETS TO BE ACHIEVED BY STUDENTS

First Professional Year:

• Learning communication skills and inspire confidence amongst families
• Understand the dynamics of rural set-up of that region
• Screening programs and education about ongoing government sponsored health related programs
• Learn to analyse the data collected from their families
• Identify diseases/ ill-health/ malnutrition of allotted families

Second Professional Year:

• Inspire active participation of community through families allotted
• Continue active involvement to become the first doctor /reference point of the family by continued active interaction - Start compiling the outcome targets achieved

Third Professional Year:

• Analysis of their involvement and impact on existing socio-politico-economic dynamics in addition to improvement in health conditions
• Final visit in the last months in advance to examination schedule, to have last round of active interaction with families

Prepare a report to be submitted to department addressing:

• Improvement in general health
• Immunization
• Sanitation
• De-addiction
• Improvement in anemia, tuberculosis control
• Sanitation awareness
• Any other issues
• Role of the student in supporting family during illness/ medical emergency
• Social responsibility in the form of environment protection programme in form of plantation drive (medicinal plants/trees), cleanliness and sanitation drives with the initiative of the medical student

REPORT OF THE ORIENTATION PROGRAM HELD ON 23/05/2023

The Orientation Program was Conducted by Dr.Hrushikesh Assistant Professor for the 2021 Batch of Students at YMC Lecture hall -1. All the Students were given an orientation and also the safety instructions while on the ground. This will be followed up by the Field Visit of the Students on 24/05/2023 lead by Dr.Imran Pasha M and Dr.Shailesh Shenoy.The Post Graduates of the Department of Public Health Dentistry and Pedodontics Dr.Krishna Prasad and Dr.Ashmil will also accompany the students.

REPORT OF THE FIELD ACTIVITY 24/05/2023

Dr.Imran Pasha M and Dr.Krishna Prasad Post Graduate of the Department of Public Health Dentistry visited the filed side with a total number of 50 students of role no 1-50. All the Students visited the home site and interacted with the families. The Overall feedback of both students and the family members were good.

REPORT OF THE FIELD ACTIVITY 25/05/2023

Dr,Shailesh Shenoy lead the team and visited the houses along with the postgraduate Dr.Ashmil. The students with role number 51 to 100 visited the filed site.Students visited the home site and interacted with the families. The Overall feedback of both students and the family members were good.