Objectives:

In order to promote academic and health care co-operation, the university and Pravara Medical Trust had collaboration with Faculty of Health Sciences, Linkoping University & County Council of Ostergotland.

The university had cooperation in the following areas:

• Student Exchange: Participation of the students in the community based training programme with opportunities to meet students and faculty from their own future profession.
• Teacher Exchange: Aimed at developing the teachers academically and professionally and promoting the development of student-centered and community oriented educational methods
• Staff Exchange: Exchange of Swedish and Indian Physicians from different specialist areas
• Joint academic and clinical activities: Aimed at upgrading the medical services at Loni with the support from clinicians and physicians from LiU

Duration of Agreement: 1999 to 2008

Funding: Part funding by SIDA, LiU and Pravara Medical Trust



Achievements:

In collaboration with County Council of Ostergotland and Linkoing University, Sweden, university has developed Advance Neonatalogy Intensive Unit (NICU) at Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Pravara Rural Hospital. The hospital has developed Paediatric Cardiac Surgery facilities through the collaboration with Linkoping University. So far 149 patients have been benefited by this facility in the last 10 years.

The university has developed Cancer research, treatment and diagnostic facilities through the collaboration with the international agencies.

The university has developed and implemented innovative teaching methodology – Problem Based Learning through the support and training from Linkoping University. Problem based learning has been implemented successfully for the Phase I, II, III of MBBS course. A good number of the workshops have been organized to train the faculty in PBL.

As a result of this collaboration faculty member had opportunity to perceive advanced training in their respective subjects at the international universities. So far in the last 10 years of collaborations, 34 staff members including the paramedical staff have benefited by this exchange programme. This has resulted in developing certain areas of specialization namely, neonatology, paediatric surgery, cytology and oncopathology, MIS, HIS, ICU, radiation oncology, anaesthesiology, molecular recahniques, rehabilitation, phacosurgery, oral surgery, problem based learning etc.

The university has conducted guest lectures and workshops in certain specialized subjects by inviting the experts from collaborating universities.

So far in the last 5 years (2004 – 2009), ----- Students and ----- faculty from Sweden have visited Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences.

The university perceived a intense collaboration for 10 years. Currently the collaboration is limited to the SIDA Project undertaken by the university