Clinical experience

Clinical experience
2020-05-29

Monday 27th January

As SLMP results in the same UK primary medical qualification, it is important that the students have equivalent clinical experience in Colombo to that of the UK. This morning we are visiting the government run National institute of Mental Health (NIMH). One thing that runs as a constant theme during our visit is the tremendous hospitality. We could not have been made more welcome, everyone has been so generous with their time and are constantly plying us with refreshments. We felt very looked after.

Speaking of being looked after, the patients of the NIMH are very well cared for. The doctors, nurses, rehabilitation and other staff all worked together, with the aim of all the patients being able to return to the community. The breadth of mental health covered is vast. From learning disability, to psychiatry for the elderly, mothers and babies to eating disorders.

The institute has much open space in between the wards. In these there are many outdoor activities that the patients participate in. The open space also helps to provide a very calm surrounding.

General Practice

As a General Practitioner, GP or family doctor, it is interesting to hear that GP is not the same in Sri Lanka. We met with Dr. Ruvaiz Haniffa GP and head of family medicine unit at the University of Colombo. He runs a private GP clinic that seems familiar to my UK GP ears. Seeing whole families for over a decade, providing care for long term health conditions and understanding that health and social circumstances are very intricately linked. He invited me to a lecture he was giving that afternoon to medical students at the University of Colombo. As a student I would always gravitate to the back of a lecture theatre, since then my teaching has led me to become more comfortable at the front of the lecture theatre. It was interesting that despite the different cultures the issues are very similar, Dr Hannifa’s was talking about how the family impacts on health and health on family. He could have given the same lecture in the UK and have received many nodding heads in the audience.

Relaxing

After a very valuable interesting day, I went to the roof top terrace of the hotel which had a panoramic view of Colombo. You can see from the photos there is a large amount trees and greenery clearly visible amongst mostly low-rise buildings. The city is fairly open and green for a capital city. One of the taller building resembles the BT tower in London however unlike the BT tower the building is beautiful and looks like the “tulip” that it is aptly nicknamed.

Published by The School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen

Comments

There are currently no comments for this post.

Your Comment

Search Blog

Browse by Month

2024

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2024
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2024
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2024
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2024
  8. Aug
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2024
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2024
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2024

2023

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2023
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2023
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2023
  4. Apr
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2023
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2023
  7. Jul
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2023
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2023
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2023

2022

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2022
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2022
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2022
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2022
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2022
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2022
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2022
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2022
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2022
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2022

2021

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2021
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2021
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2021
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2021
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2020

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2020
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2020
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2019

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2019
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2019
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2019
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2019
  12. Dec

2018

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2018
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2018
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2018
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2018
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec