Department of Preventive and Social Medicine


 
 

Department of Preventive and Social Medicine has been the backbone of All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health pioneer public health institute since inception through its multi-disciplinary functions in the form of research, education, and training interventions.

Genesis of the MD (Community Medicine) Course: With the development of social and behavioural science and of increasing stress on role of prevention, their role and importance in public health training became more and more felt. Secondly the integrated health care in primary health centre as recommended by the Bhore Committee needed doctors who are suitably trained in both social cum preventive and curative medicine. Accordingly, in the undergraduate training course the subject of Public Health and Hygiene was replaced by Preventive and Social Medicine. The real crux of the problem was the dearth of trained teachers on the subject. The Institute therefore created a chair of Social and Preventive Medicine initially to provide an eighteen months certificate course for doctors desirous to serve as teachers. Dr. A. K. Banerjee was appointed as its first Professor on 16.04.1960.

The course was subsequently upgraded as a two years course for MD, Social and Preventive Medicine beginning from 1973, under the Calcutta University with the objective of developing skilled and motivated workforce in public health services including training of trainers and course facilitators for planning, organization, and evaluation of national health programmes. Later from 1994 this course became a 3-year course. This MD course was initially on Social and Preventive Medicine under the University of Calcutta and later from 2004 it became Community Medicine under West Bengal University of Health Sciences. Starting with 5 seats which was later extended to 10 seats following increasing demand and presently the total number of seats in each session is 20 in number.

Year after year, this department has added numerous feathers in its crown be it skilled training in upcoming public health issues, academic publications, studies on important topics in the community or imparting training to school teachers, NGOs, health workers, etc.



Above all, we continue to teach, train and shape students into future public health specialists every year.