Simulation centre to come up at SRM Medical College

SRM Medical College will set up a simulation centre on its Kattankulathur campus at a cost of Rs.5 crore to guide medical students in perfecting surgical procedures.

Along the sidelines of an interaction with four medical students from the college, who were trained at Birgham Women's Hospital run by Partners Healthcare International in Boston, Dr. James Pandian, Dean, SRM Medical College, told reporters that the simulation centre would provide medical students hands-on training in medical procedures and surgeries.

He said the college was, at present, using audio-visual and digitalised content for instructional purposes and demonstrated procedures, including laparoscopic, on patients.

The simulation centre, like the one used in Harvard Medical School in United States, would allow students to perform the procedures on mannequins, which would respond electronically guiding the student whenever a mistake was made.

SRM would be importing equipment for setting up of the simulation centre and Partners Healthcare would provide user guidelines and training in handling it. The facility would be beneficial to students, surgeons and researchers, who could perfect procedures or work on new procedures by practising on mannequins. In essence, students could perform trial surgeries without harming life, Mr. Pandian said.

The college plans to start 25 postgraduate courses in medicine, including 19 broad specialties and six super specialties in the next academic year, after obtaining Medical Council of India approval.