GUWAHATI, Jan 20 - Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) of Mumbai in association with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences launched for the first time in India a one-year advanced diploma course on Patient Navigation. The course has been named as �Kevat�.
The course intends to create a new speciality in healthcare, which will be a specialised workforce of trained professionals to help patients manage their medical experience, coordinate their care and assist them with navigation of complicated and multi-step medical systems. The navigators would also be empowered to address a multitude of patient needs, including communication and counselling.
According to Dr Amal Chandra Kataki, Director of Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), a grants-in-aid institute of the Department of Atomic Energy and a unit of TMC, around 15 lakh new cancer cases are diagnosed every year in India and �this calls for a large number of trained professionals to manage cancer patients across the country through their long ordeal from diagnosis to the completion of treatment.� He added that this would improve the standard of care and contribute to patient satisfaction as there is acute shortage of support staff in the management of cancer patients, more so in the NE region.
Dr Rajendra A Badwe, Director of Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai said that the Kevat programme intends to create a dedicated work force of trained and capable individuals with an inclination to volunteer for patient guidance. In addition to this, it is intended to create a resource directory that would provide information for supporting day-to-day requirements of patients and attendants within or outside the hospital. This directory would include information on local accommodation facilities, available financial support schemes, important contact addresses and phone numbers and other services. �It is the right time that all cancer treatment centres under the National Cancer Grid put in concerted efforts towards making patient experiences better at all these treatment facilities,� Dr Badwe added.
Meanwhile, applicationshave been invited for the course with candidates having graduate/PG degree from a recognised institute or university with minimum 50 % marks, preferably in Medical Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or Public Health. Stipend will be provided after successful completion of the first six months of the course.
