Letter to Editor
Authors
Department of Community Medicine, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: India being a disaster-prone country necessitates us to be able to act proactively
for any sort of preparedness and prevention. This necessitates a curriculum which can bring all the
aspects related to disaster under one umbrella and thus impart training.
AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the responses of students about the importance of disaster
management (DM) in their MBBS course, take up suggestions about the important inclusions to be
made in their curriculum, and get an insight of the higher education and research of DM domain in
the Indian context.
METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study with a batch of 100 MBBS students purposively sampled
were part of the questionnaire. Besides, a thorough Internet search for institutes providing training
on DM was done, and relevant details were noted down. Later on, the students were given guest
lectures and demonstrations by certified trainers and experts along with a know-how of where to go
for getting a hands-on training and whom to respond to.
RESULTS: Seventy-two percent of the students felt the portion of DM being taught to them to be
insufficient, and 95% never got any training or demonstration for DM although 22% felt that it is
not so important for them as a doctor. Only 23% of them knew about any sort of DM courses or
certifications in India, and almost 16% of the students were confident enough to tackle any incidence
of public health emergency.
CONCLUSION: Making an earlier start will impart seriousness and accountability in the mindset of
budding physicians.
Keywords
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