FMCI President Inaugurates and Blesses renovated Departments – KONKANCATHOLIC.COM

FMCI President Inaugurates and Blesses renovated Departments

February 3, 2022

Mangaluru: Being in the health care service since 1880, Father Muller Charitable Institutions has a rich heritage which is seen in its vast experience in the field of medicine and gives it the reputation of an institution that combines a caring heart with highly professional skills. This has been confirmed yet again with the reaccreditations by the NABH and NABL for the hospital and NAAC grade for the colleges. Thus with the ever changing times the Institutions has always stepped up to better the existing good, for ease and comfort of its students, faculty and patients.

On the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, 02 February 2022 the inaugural and blessing of the Departments of Physiotherapy, Immunohematology & Blood Transfusion and Radio-Diagnosis was conducted by the Bishop of Mangalore Diocese and President of the Father Muller Charitable Institutions Most Rev Dr Peter Paul Saldanha. The Director FMCI, Rev. Fr Richard Aloysius Coelho welcomed the gathering and gave a brief on the newly renovated departments. Rev. Fr Ajith B Menezes the Administrator of FMMC & FMCOAHS presented work done details of the departments in accordance with the National Medical Council policy. Rev. Fr Rudolph Ravi D’Sa administrator of the Father Muller Medical College Hospital elaborated the patient friendly approaches the departments have considered.

In his presidential address Rev Dr Peter Paul Saldanha essayed on the famous English writer, C.S. Lewis, who wrote in his book The Problem of Pain says that human beings are ready to ignore pleasure, or postpone its gratification but they insist on attending to pain immediately. Because,“Pain insists upon being attended to”. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Through pain and suffering, God draws us closer to himself.

Department of Immunohematology & Blood Transfusion:

Bloodbanking is the study of RBC antigens and antibodies associated with blood transfusion. Father Muller Medical College has established a new department named Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion (IHBT) headed by Professor Dr Kirana Pailoor.  Father Muller Medical College is the first Medical College in Dakshina Kannada District to establish this department.    MD in Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion is a post graduate course which is a unique multidimensional speciality that incorporates elements of blood banking and immune- hematology and integrates science technology, medicine, public health administration and the community as a whole.  The department is well equipped with good infrastructure and personnel and intends to reach greater heights by planning to seek permission for postgraduate course in this specialty. The IHBT Department is responsible for the collection of donor’s blood and testing of blood to be given to patients (Traditional blood banking). It provides clinical services to support patients in need of blood component therapy and specialized laboratory diagnostics.  The department organizes Voluntary blood donation camps and provides 24X7 services.

Department of Physiotherapy:

The Department of Physiotherapy programme came to an independent existence in the year 1967.  It was part of the Father Muller Medical College until 2020 where it was constituted in the umbrella of the Father Muller College of Allied Health Sciences with its BPT, MPT AND PhD programmes.

The infrastructure of the physiotherapy department consists of five classrooms, electrotherapy & exercise therapy lab with necessary basic equipment, an Outpatient and Inpatient Departments.  The department comprises of the Cardio-respiratory, Musculoskeletal & Sports, Neuro Physiotherapy, Community Based Physiotherapy, paediatric Physiotherapy and Geriatric Physiotherapy units.  It also partakes in Extension Services to Cheshire Home, St. Agnes Special School, St. Mary’s Special School Kinnigoli, St. Antony’s Old Age Home, Prashanth Nivas, Bethany Convent, Mother Theresa’s Poor Homes, and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. The Department of Physiotherapy has conducted various international collaborations and MOUs with Bucks New University, UK.  The department has been involved with various research, national & international student and faculty exchange programme.   The department has had over 70 research publications and established various Evidenced Based Protocols. The department has also conducted various Workshops, Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums at the Regional and National Levels with the  fitness and COVID-19 Awareness camps being the latest health campaign. The department is headed by Professor Cherishma DSilva.

Department of Radio-Diagnosis:

Radio-diagnosis is a branch of Medicine that utilizes radiation, ultrasound and magnetic resonance for diagnosis of diseases. It deals not only with imaging and diagnosis of diseases but also with therapeutic interventions for treatment of diseases. The Department of Radio-diagnosis at present consists of state of the art high end diagnostic machines in out patient department with seven ultrasound machines, one digital radiography machine and one mammography machine and eleven mobile radiography machine, two CT scan, a MRI and two fluoroscopy X-ray machines. With the advent of newer and newer technologies and software, Radio-diagnosis has become integral part in patient care for diagnosis. It has emerged from general radiology using basic x- rays to high end MRI machines. It not only plays vital role in diagnosis of particular disease but also offers therapeutic interventions pertaining to treatment aspect.

The need for renovation of the academic department was felt and thus a full mezzanine floor of the new department premise with the faculty cabins, staff cabins and ug/pg classrooms has been set up with central air conditioning system and also the Radiology Museum. The department is headed by Dr Rama Shenoy Basti.

The event witnessed the august presence of the Members of the Governing Board, Management Committee of the Father Muller Centenary Charitable Society; Faculty, Staff and Students. The programme was compeered by Ms Asmitha Patrao and the vote of thanks was delivered by Prof Cherishma Dsilva.