Medical simulation centre inaugurated

 Speaking after inaugurating the Medical Simulation Centre at Manipal here on Monday, he said that simulation is a technique, not a technology, to replace or amplify real-patient experiences with guided, artificially contrived experiences that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive manner.” He drew a political parallel for medical simulation. “It is akin to a mock parliament or a mock assembly where students get to learn the proceedings.”

He said “the centre will help to produce better doctors who can then provide better healthcare and improve patients’ safety.” However, he said it could lead to a ‘tricky situation’ where the students could become conscious that they were using simulators and not real humans. Therefore, they could develop a tendency to become less serious, less curious, less sensitive and less careful.”  He urged the faculty to be careful that the students did not become flippant.

He lauded the efforts of Manipal University for adopting new innovations, upgrading technological competence and research and development.

Gowda urged the clinical research centres to go for technologies aiding the experiment to know the accuracy of the drugs thereby avoiding the test on patients, he said.
He said to reduce the scarcity of lecturers in the medical colleges, the government had increased the higher education seats by 1,600. The state government had also decided to release annually Rs 15 crore for providing free treatment to 2,000 heart patients from BPL families every year at Jayadeva Cardiac Institute, Bangalore.

The Manipal Simulation Centre is first of its kind instituted in the private medical college in the country. The facility is available to the students and colleges functioning under Manipal University, informed MSC Director Dr Ram Kumar.

He also gave a brief on how the computer-driven sim man, sim baby and sim woman works.  The sim man was used for brief presentation on how a patient would be handled when brought to the ICU. 

Medical Education Director Dr A R Arun, Manipal University Pro Chancellor Dr H S Ballal, Vice-Chancellor Dr Raj P Warrier, Registrar Dr G K Prabhu and others were present.