Subject of Community Medicine extends from 1^st year to final year and CRRI (Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship). This is the unique subject where the students will be associated with the department throughout their course except for one year (Final year part II period). The teaching of Community Medicine is not confined within four walls unlike other subjects, but extends outside the institution (field activities). Students are taken to field practice areas (Rural Health Training Centre and   Urban Health Teaching Centre) to orient them to the community aspects of health and thereby develop the skill of community diagnosis instead of restricting the diagnosis to the individual patients alone. They are also taken to other centers like water works, Leprosy centre etc. Thus the departmental teaching will be to imbibe the concept of promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services instead of curative services alone in the younger minds of the undergraduates.

Role of the Department in Training Medical Graduates

• Scope of Community Medicine is not only exclusive but also exhaustive, ranging from biostatistics, research methodology, management techniques, National Health Policies (NHP) and National Health Programmes and their updating, epidemiological investigation of an outbreak, nutritional determinants of disease, environmental dimensions of health, history of medicine and public health, genetics, ethics, health economics etc. apart from field exposure.
• The teaching over such a wide range of topics enable the student to fulfill three of the five National goals for the MBBS graduates set by GMER (Graduate Medical Education Regulation 2019) implemented by NMC (National Medical Council) and also make the outgoing young medical graduate to be competent enough not only to perform his duties independently but also as a team member in the health centers, wherever he is posted.

HEALTH CENTERS

There are two field practice centers attached to the department, one at Nandhambakkam – (Urban center) and another at Amarambedu (Rural center). They are under the administrative control of Dean. 

The Urban Health Training Center at Nandhambakam is situated in Kundrathur Panchayat Union at distance of 9 km from the college. It caters to a population of 7112. It has a ground area of 6000 sft and plinth area of 4375 sft per floor. There are three floors in this building viz the clinic in the ground floor, the students dormitory, demonstration hall as well as kitchen with dining hall in the 1^st floor and the Medical officer quarters in the 2^nd floor.

Rural Health Training Center at Amarambedu is situated in Kundrathur Panchayat Union at distance of 16 Km from the college. The total ground area is 21800 sft and plinth area is 4418 sft. There are three floors in this building viz the clinic in the ground floor, the students dormitory, demonstration hall as well as kitchen with dining hall in the 1^st floor and the Medical officer quarters in the 2^nd floor.

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

            We are training students of MBBS according to the revised new medical curriculum. We are also involved in teaching of BPT and BSc nursing students. The pass percentage in community medicine of the last batch was 98%.

            We are awaiting 5 PG seats in MD Community Medicine for the 2021 session as the inspection by the Dr. TN MGR Medical University and NMC were completed.

FIELD ACTIVITIES

1. MBBS students are trained to conduct community survey to arrive at the community diagnosis. They are also exposed to the activities like immunization and ICDS programmes at the field level.
2. The students after passing MBBS are posted in the centers for 2 months training (CRRIs)
3. National Health Programmes in coordination with the public health workers are being implemented and National Health Days are being meticulously observed.
4. Health education on various health issues are carried out in the area.

Other activities

1. Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme is organized every year by the department calling the expert speakers on important public health issues.
2. Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) – The department is entrusted with management of IEC by the Dean, SMMCH & RI. Hence the following activities are being carried out.
   • Registration of the IEC with CDSCO, DGHS and GOI as per the Statute in June 2015.
   • Re-registration has been done as per the rules in June 2018.
   • 18 IEC meetings have been conducted so for and 78 proposals have been reviewed.
3. Health camps are being conducted in the field practice areas on Sundays to benefit the people and to increase the OPD in the hospital.