Counselling course for students on mind, MUHS introduces pilot project
Health Sciences University introduces 7-day Art of Living
workshop to see if it helps aspiring docs beat depression.
CONCERNED about the rising number of depression cases and suicidal tendencies among
medical students, the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) has decided
to introduce mandatory counselling for aspiring doctors.
But before implementing the course, MUHS wants to prove the need for such a course
and its effect on students’ lives by starting a small pilot study.
As part of its research on this subject, the university has introduced the counselling
module in about 100 ayurvedic and homeopathic medical colleges attached to it as
the ayurvedic and homeopathic council of the university has approved the course.
The course, which is in the form of a seven- day workshop, is voluntary at present
and students who take it up will be the subjects of the pilot project.
"We have appointed the Art of Living Foundation for carrying out the seven-day workshop
among students.
They will conduct workshops as well as do follow-ups. The counsellors will also
interview students participating to know the effect of the workshop on their lifestyle
in a bid to study if the workshops have any positive impact," said Dr. Arun Jamkar,
vice-chancellor, MUHS. According to Jamkar, he wants to collect some data on the
efficacy of the course so that he can make a case for the course being made mandatory
as it would be a paid course.
"The Gujarat health sciences varsity has made this kind of workshop compulsory for
students. I too wish to make a proposal to do a similar thing for the betterment
of students and that’s why this pilot study, so I can prove the impact by documenting
it," said Jamkar.
Courtesy: Mid-Day
