The Higher Education Review

The country is facing a serious dearth in number of medical colleges,” says Dr. Mohammed Ali Khan, Chief Executive Officer, of Al-Ameen Medical College. Inspite of 381 medical colleges registered under the Medical Council of India (MCI) graduating over 35000 students every year, the country still needs 500 more institutions to address this issue of inadequacy in number of medical institutions. Al- Ameen Medical College is one of the medical institutes in the country creating a niche of a kind to train 150 among them and transform students into socially responsible and sincere doctors.

Due to the lack of adequate seats to pursue medical studies, many able and worthy students applying from every nook and corner of the country applying for the state and national medical entrance tests has to face the failure in earning one. And even from the ones enrolled has to further face the issue of inadequacy of a student friendly curriculum and infrastructure and end up being inefficient. Al-Ameen, a religious minority college established in 1984 by founder Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan and now continued efficiently by Mr. Ziaulla Sheriff a legendary builder, Chairman of India Builder’s Corporation and Al-Ameen Charitable Fund Trust, Bangalore and situated in Bijapur addresses this hindrance of inadequacy to professionalism. Dr. Khan takes pride in mentioning the learning methodology as an asset building the reputation of the institute complementing a part in the medical education. The methodology includes the curriculum set by MCI but most importantly Al-Ameen gives more attention needed to the development of various skills such as problem-solving skills, psychomotor or performance skills, attitudinal and communication skills.

Speaking about the expertise of faculty in the institute inducing the professional skills, the founder says that the institute is overwhelmed to have a group of able faculty members who not only educates but adds to the knowledge quotient of the student increasing their curiosity towards medical science. Each faculty of the institute comes with a decent knowledge and practical experience and same is utilized to hone the students. The faculty members undergo training programs and workshops on Medical education technologies and regular inter departmental vertical and horizontal integration in teaching.Traditionally, there has been much emphasis put on the acquisition of knowledge as against the development of skills in the education system. This pattern has lately been transformed into a more skill based learning courses. Unlike any other engineering and technology courses, Medical Education in India has been the most ineffective platform in terms of adapted curriculum. The college makes the students learn the nitty gritty of the profession through detailed demonstration of the clinical procedures and effective discussions. Dr. Khan pinpoints the importance of students who pursue to be efficient doctors to have developed an ability to gather information with sensitivity and insight, to make sound clinical judgment on the basis of probabilities.Adding 47 buildings worth Rs. 85 crores to the main institute, Al-Ameen offers an intake of 150 students at a time for MBBS and PG courses in radiology, orthopedics, anesthesiology, ophthalmology, general medicine, pathology, physiology, Anatomy, ENT, General surgery, OBG. Further, the hospital serves 750 patients at a time armed with state of the art equipments such as MRI, CT Scan, ECG, Mammography, Echocardiography,

all over growth keeping them focused restraining the otherwise distractions which would have been having the institute in a city. Affiliated to the Rajiv Gandhi University, students have bagged first five gold medals in university results under Government of Karnataka and aces in sports and other extra-curricular activities achieving awards in university sports in hockey, badminton and basketball.Supporting his statement to the need of medical colleges in the country he adds, “The biggest advantage of our country’s teaching methodologies is that in comparison to many important countries, we are being provided to indulge in live experiences dealing with the real human body in practice sessions while most of them practices in mannequins.” Practicing in a real human body itself gives and edge to the doctors and practitioners and that boosts the confidence which in return makes them ready to handle any case under any situation.The institute has alumni working all over the world bringing in name and glory to the institute. In course of 28 year college they have spread in many parts of the world including India, Saudi Arabia, Muscat, U.S Dubai and many more.

With a futuristic perspective, the institute would continue its services towards the society along with education system boosting efficacy of the thousands of students passing every year. Along with these the institute plans to conduct many more camps for the people residing in nearby rural areas with a motto to keep them healthy.
Private medical colleges have come up throughout the country and measures are required to ensure their proper regulation by the medical council. Al-Ameen is one in the few struggling to bring a change in the educational system which sets an example of the pathway to development and guarding mankind.