Family Attachment Programme

The programme was initiated in 1994 in the School of Medicine to meet the need for engaging the students with the community and to provide them with first-hand experience in addressing health and illness within the scope of diverse cultural norms, attitudes, knowledge and practices towards health and illness. Pairs of medical students, starting in their second year, get attached to a family identified in collaboration with community partners. Through regular home visits, the students observe and apply the principles of community medicine (i.e. reproductive health, nutrition, and health education) and refer family members for medical services if necessary. Students and faculty hold sessions for preparations for the home visits, and group discussions are held after each and every home visit to address any particular challenges that came up during the visit. The programme annually serves around 240 families in the poor neighboring areas of the university and other underserved urban areas.