The Higher Education Review

There are 543 medical colleges and 64 standalone PG Institutes in India, making medical education one of India's most popular higher education streams. That said, there is a clear gap between the total available undergraduate medical seats, which stands at 90,285 and the total number of students who clear the medical entrance exams. The other perennial issue that has plagued medical education in India is the lack of preparedness new medical graduates have for actual patient treatment.

Acknowledging this scenario, Sri Siddhartha Medical College (SSMC) was established with a vision of making students technologically capable, ethically strong and empowered to improve the quality of life of the human race by imparting futuristic technical/medical knowledge. Over the years, the medical college has consistently offered best-in-class medical education and developed into one of the most preferred medical colleges in the country.

Medical Education of the Highest Quality
Touching Life's Forever, is the operational motto of SSMC and located in Tumkur, Karnataka, they are one of the best rural medical colleges in the country. The institute has been operating for more than three decades now, and their main attraction is the quality of teaching. The SSMC campus is spread across 250 acres where they offer world class medical education backed by state-of-the-art infrastructure including a fully functional Skill lab, an impressive library that has 16000 national and international journals, fully furnished hostels which can house 1600 students, 200 quarters for faculty members, a super market,

shopping complex etc.

The institute offers plethora of academic options for the students to choose from including cardiology, plastic surgery, pulmonology, urology and pediatric surgery to name a few. The institute also has nursing and paramedical courses where students get trained and often, they are hired by the institute itself as staff to cater to the needs of their patient care. SSMC ensures that their students are equipped with the needed skills and knowledge required to have a positive impact on the healthcare sector of the country. As a result, the education offered at the institute is a perfect blend of theoretical and practical training.

Faculties play a crucial role when it comes to ensuring smooth delivery of knowledge to the learners. Acknowledging this, SSMC offers regular hands-on training programs to their faculty. Talking more about the quality of the faculty at SSMC, and their faculty development programs, Dr. Sushil Chandra Mahapatra, Principal, SSMCadds, "We constantly update our faculty with the latest changes and trends happening in the healthcare space so that they can offerbest in class medical education to our students.

Also, we have got an excellent Medical Education Department which conducts regular training and curriculum development programs for the faculty". SSMC also has an Ethics Committee for all the hospitals and institutions in Tumkur, through which, they give approval for their research projects. Aside from that, the institute conducts clinical trials and have a Pharmacovigilance ADR (adverse drug reaction) monitoring center as well.

Holistic Education & Practical Training
By prioritizing on preparing their students for real-world scenarios, SSMC invites industry experts to interact with their students regularly. Another unique initiative followed by the institute

is where they offer their students an opportunity to interact with authors of the books they are studying. This interaction helps students clear their queries and get a better grasp of the concepts they are learning about. The institute has a 960 bed, fully equipped hospital where the student can get valuable hands-on training and real-world patient treatment experience.

Adding more about the extracurricular opportunities' students have at SSMC and their future priorities, Dr. Sushil Chandra Mahapatrasays, "We have a very lively campus where we encourage the extracurricular activities of our students through many events and festivals. Aside from that, SSMC also has multiple sports facilities including indoor swimming pool, basketball court, cricket and football pitches, and indoor stadium all of which is spread across 250 acres to ensure the holistic development of our students. Owing to this, many of our students have participated and won in various competitions outside the campus. When it comes to future plans, we are constantly striving to evolve with the changing times so that our students can get the best medical education in the country and gain ample theoretical and practical knowledge".

Ssmc ensures that their students are equipped with the needed skills and knowledge required to have a positive impact on the healthcare sector of the country

Dr. G. Parameshwara, Chancellor SSAHE
He is the main pillar behind the success of Sri Siddhartha Medical College. And through the success of the institute, he is fulfilling the dreams of his father Shikshna Bhishma HM Gangadhariya of `Entrancing Education to Reach the Unreached'. Dr, G Parameshawra did his PhD in plant physiology from Australia. And this pioneering educator is a senior politician of Indian National Congress, he has served as the eputy Chief Minister as well as the Home Minister of Karnataka.