Maharashtra University Launches Pioneering Digital Health Course for Medical Students

Maharashtra University introduces India’s first digital health course for medical students, embracing EMRs, AI, and wearables, shaping the future of medicine.

Starting from the upcoming academic year, medical interns in Maharashtra will be required to gain proficiency in a new subject – digital health. The Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), responsible for supervising 450 medical institutions and catering to 40,000 medical students, is gearing up to introduce India’s inaugural foundational program in digital health.

MUHS Vice-Chancellor Lt Gen Madhuri Kanitkar (retd) announced, “Maharashtra will become the first state to introduce digital health as a formal course for medical students.” Developed in collaboration with the not-for-profit Koita Foundation, the course will cover hospital management information systems, electronic medical records, as well as the utilization of sensors and wearables for health data collection. Additionally, it will include modules on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare.

The digital health foundation course is scheduled to be inaugurated by Governor Mahesh Bais and Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif. Although the course will not be mandatory, participants will earn credits upon its completion, according to officials

Dr. Kanitkar emphasized that the curriculum is designed with the understanding that the future of medicine is becoming increasingly digitized. She emphasized, “We believed that we needed a curriculum that would help young people understand why digital health is important.” Digital health doesn’t mean additional data entering work, but rather an automated process that will benefit medicine by collecting data from many sources.”

Furthermore, the course will not be limited to interns but will also be open to nurses and existing medical teachers. Rizwan Koita of the Koita Foundation highlighted the potential of technology in making healthcare more affordable and accessible in a country.

As the government launches the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, it’s crucial to increase the adoption of digital health. Koita emphasized, “It is critical to increase the basic digital health literacy of doctors and front-line healthcare workers.” The Koita Foundation has collaborated with institutions such as IIT Bombay, Tata Memorial Hospital, and the National Cancer Grid to support this initiative.

Source: Inputs from various media Sources