The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) is India’s first rural medical college, nestled in the karmabhoomi of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, in

Sevagram Sevagram (meaning "A town for/of service") is a town in the state of Maharashtra, India. It was the place of Mahatma Gandhi's ashram and his residence from 1936 to his death in 1948. After Sabarmati, Sevagram Ashram holds immense importance d ...

. It is managed by the Kasturba Health Society. The college was earlier affiliated to the

Nagpur University Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), formerly Nagpur University, is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is one of India's oldest universities, as well as th ...

(1969–1997) and from year 1998 it is now affiliated to the

Maharashtra University of Health Sciences Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) is a higher education institution in Nashik, Maharashtra, India. History The university was established on 3 June 1998 by the state overnment of Maharashtrathrough an ordinance. The State Legisl ...

(MUHS), Nashik. M.U.H.S. College Information

Location

The institute is located in Sevagram, a small village about 8 km from the city of

Wardha Wardha is a city and a municipal council in Wardha district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Wardha district. Wardha gets its name from the Wardha River which flows at the north, west and south bounda ...

. It is well connected with other parts of the country by rail and road links. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur is about 70 km away from the institute.

History

The MGIMS was begun in 1969, the Gandhi centenary year. It is the first rural medical college in India. It was started by Dr

Sushila Nayyar Sushila Nayyar, also spelled 'Nayar' (1914 – 2001), was an Indian physician, veteran Gandhian and politician. She played a leading role in several programmes for public health, medical education and social and rural reconstruction in her ...

. The

Kasturba Hospital The Kasturba Hospital was started in 1945 by Dr Sushila Nayyar. It is a 1000-bed hospital, located in Sevagram, about 8 km from Wardha, and offers tertiary care healthcare facilities to rural patients. In 1969, the Mahatma Gandhi Institu ...

, started in 1944, is the only hospital started by the father of the nation himself.http://www.mgims.ac.in/index.php Information from MGIMS's Official website

Academics

The courses offered by the institute are *

M.B.B.S. Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

(annual intake of 100 students) *

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

* Diploma courses in Medicine and Surgery

Admissions

The institute enrolls 100 students every year. Half are from the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

and the other half come from the rest of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Earlier the institute was having special reservations for students from rural areas of the count and the institute was having its own premedical test (PMT) examination, which includes a multiple choice question test on

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

and a special theory paper on Gandhian thoughts. The students are selected on the basis of the marks obtained in these exams. But since 2017 institute admitting the students from NEET-UG & NEET-PG ( National Eligibility cum Entrance Test )

Postgraduate courses

The institute offers

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

training in almost all important disciplines of medical science. Admission to these courses is based on performance of a student in NEET PG exam.

Medical services

Kasturba Hospital

The

was started in 1945 by Sushila Nayar, close associate of Gandhi and his personal physician. From 770 bed hospital, Kasturba Hospital at Sevagram has now grown into a nearly 1000- bed teaching hospital located in

, about 8 km from

town, and offers tertiary care healthcare facilities to rural patients. Over a 24-hour period, close to 1700 patients access outpatient care in the hospital, hospital pharmacies deal with 1800 prescriptions, 140 patients seek admission to the hospital wards, 14 patients undergo major surgeries, 12 babies are delivered, and 20 units of blood are transfused. In addition, 270 patients undergo radiography, 65 ultrasound examinations, 14 computed tomography, and seven patients have a magnetic resonance imaging scan. The laboratories report 750 biochemical tests, 510 complete blood counts, 100 serologic tests, 20 cytology samples and 15 biopsy specimens.

Research

Facility- as well as community-based research is conducted in areas like maternal, neonatal, and child health care, infectious diseases, nutritional illnesses, lifestyle and disorders. To explore traditional systems of Indian medicine.

Lead center for State Level Monitoring of ICDS

The Department of Community Medicine has been designated the lead center for State Level Monitoring of ICDS activities in Maharashtra. Dr BS Garg, Dr Subodh S Gupta and Dr PR Deshmukh have been appointed State ICDS Consultants. They monitored the activities of ICDS in six districts of Maharashtra during the year 2008–09; viz. Wardha, Yavatmal, Amravati, Chandrapur, Akola, and Buldhana. They also coordinated the monitoring of ICDS activities throughout the state conducted by selected medical colleges identified for this purpose.

Clinical Epidemiology Unit

The Clinical Epidemiology Unit was expanded to include more members after it was approved by IndiaCLEN. The Clinical Epidemiology Unit started its first activity with a capacity building program of its members. The unit has also started an orientation program for all the new post-graduate students who take admission at MGIMS, Sevagram.

Life at campus

The institute is unique in following the Gandhian principles. All the students and staff wear

khadi Khadi (, ), derived from khaddar, is a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by Mahatma Gandhi as ''swadeshi'' (self-sufficiency) for the freedom struggle of the Indian subcontinent, and the term is used throughout India, Pakistan ...

. The staff and the students participate in shram daan. The institute follows a strict

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism may ...

policy. Alcohol consumption is prohibited in the institute.

Medical Orientation Camp

The newly admitted students spend 15 days in the Sevagram Ashram for the orientation to the Gandhian way of life. They follow the Ashram rules during these days. Some activities include Shramdan and spinning khadi. There are lectures from people from various runs of life.

Social Service camp

Every batch of medical students is allotted a small village from around Wardha. The students stay in that village for 15 days. Each student is allotted a certain number of families. He is responsible for the health concerns of all its members. The students spend this time giving health information to their families. They also learn a great deal about the real problems of the rural masses. The villagers are all given a free health checkup and are investigated for basic infections like

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and

filaria ''Filaria'' is a genus of nematodes belonging to the family Filariidae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in ...

. The students continue to visit this village for three years, once every month.

Re-Orientation to Medical Education Camp

The Re-Orientation to Medical Education or ROME camp is held at the end of second professional. It was previously held at the Kasturba Rural Health Training Center (KRHTC) at Aanji. Since 2008, it is being held at Rural Health Training center (RHTC) at Bhidi. This is a 15-day exercise where students learn aspects of

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

and get hands on experience of the rural India.

Notable alumni

* Dr K.K. Aggarwal, cardiologist * Dr Mandeep R. Mehra, professor at Harvard Medical School *Dr Ramdas Ransing , Neuro-psychiatrist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahatma Gandhi Institute Of Medical Sciences Medical Council of India Medical colleges in Maharashtra Wardha district Educational institutions established in 1969 1969 establishments in Maharashtra Affiliates of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences