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Curriculum of community medicine is prepared
in such a way as to prepare the students to
become community oriented and thereby
contributing effectively to the health care
system of Pakistan. It continues through all
five years of MBBS course. It includes the
study and application of a wide range of
social sciences, concepts of health
economics, human behaviour,
socio-anthropology and social determinants
of health and disease. The study of
epidemiology, demography and biostatistics
would also be introduced at appropriate
stages. Special emphasis is given to the
planning and management of primary health
care systems and students are also involved
in field work under the guidance and
supervision of trained staff. Opportunities
are also given to the students to become
familiar with the socio-economic and health
conditions of sub-standard urban centers
besides introducing them to the rural areas
and other under developed areas of Lahore.
Through such visits and surveys students are
able to come in direct contact with people
of these under privileged areas and are able
to study in depth the structure and dynamics
of communities, their socio-cultural and
economic strains and their impact on the
health of children and women, thereby
developing a relationship of trust and
mutual learning with members of the
community so that the development programmes
are planned and implemented jointly with
them. This would lead to self reliance in
the community. The students are also be
encouraged to participate in the preventive
and curative care and management of patients
and their families in the hospital’s
out-patient department as well as in the
primary health care field settings. In the
later part of the course, the students in
collaboration with the clinical departments
participate in research oriented projects to
evaluate the effectiveness of the primary
health care systems which they helped to
establish and also have the experience of
practicing Family Medicine.
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