OVERVIEW

The Department of Community Medicine provides promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services of the National Programmes through its Rural Health and Training Centre at CHHARA. Ever since the establishment of RHTC, it has endeavored to provide MCH Services including Antenatal Care (Examination, nutritional Counselling), Immunisation, IYCF Counselling, Adolescent Care, and facilitate suitable referral linkages. Environmental health, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, infant and young child feeding and competency based medical education in Community Medicine are the major research areas in the department. The Department is consistently working towards discovery of new knowledge in domain of public health, advocacy for application of new ideas in health care of populations. The main focus area of the Centre has been on evolution of a replicable model of comprehensive health services and providing consultancy to strengthen capacity of health organizations at national level.

OUR GOAL

The Department aims to provide high quality training in Community Medicine to the under graduate medical students enrolled for MBBS (basic medical degree). The other activities of the Department are to conduct basic research, conduct training programs and to provide promotive, preventive and curative health services to the community, for the health and welfare of the people.

OUR VISION

To establish and maintain rural health organizations which will form centres for the field training of the medical students of the Institute as well as for the research into community health problems. 

OUR MISSION

To respond to the evolving national public health needs in keeping with global standards of teaching, research, and service by creating a professional workforce to translate knowledge to action and thereby contribute towards HEALTH FOR ALL

OBJECTIVE

A Community Medicine department within a medical school focuses on studying the health of populations within a defined community, identifying their health needs, and designing, implementing, and evaluating health programs to effectively address those needs; essentially, it aims to train healthcare professionals to promote health and prevent diseases within communities through preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative approaches, often involving active community participation. 

To advance the field of community medicine by:

1.Providing multifaceted interdisciplinary education through current, competency based curricula which equips the students to function as an effective community and first level physicians so as to render comprehensive, continuum of care.

2. Enabling the students to conduct and communicate collaborative and research in public health.

3. Empowering the students to be sensitive to current health scenario, socio -cultural- behavioral and environmental issues while rendering patient care.

4. Inculcating necessary skills to function as an effective team player, behavioral change communicator and advocates of social change.

5. Retaining and developing future public health leaders in an inclusive, supportive learning environment and build the public health workforce.

KEY ASPECTS 

• Focus on population health: Unlike clinical specialties that treat individual patients, Community Medicine examines health trends and issues at the community level, analyzing factors like demographics, environmental conditions, and lifestyle habits to identify health risks.
• Preventive medicine: A major focus is on disease prevention through health promotion activities like education, screening programs, and immunization campaigns.
• Community engagement: Actively involving community members in identifying health needs, planning interventions, and evaluating their effectiveness is crucial.
• Research and data analysis: Conducting research studies to understand health patterns within communities and utilizing data to inform health policies and programs.
• Training healthcare professionals: The department provides both undergraduate and postgraduate training to equip future doctors with the skills necessary to practice community-based medicine.

ACTIVITIES 

• Community health surveys: Conducting surveys to assess the health status and needs of a population.
• Health education programs: Developing and delivering health education sessions on topics like nutrition, hygiene, and disease prevention.
• Disease surveillance: Monitoring the occurrence and spread of diseases within a community.
• Outreach programs: Providing healthcare services directly to underserved communities.
• Environmental health assessments: Evaluating environmental factors impacting community health

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Department has funded research activities with ICMR. Faculty and students are encouraged to conduct research activities, participate in conferences and publish their research work.
• The other activities include participation in health camps and conducting information, education and communication and health education activities, epidemiological assessment, control and prevention of outbreaks, research and planning evidence-based health policies and programmes.
• Celebration of important Public Health events such as World Health Day, World Breastfeeding week, National Nutrition week etc.