Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Microsoft Corporation of India a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation to help it in this ambitious project. The initiative is the brainchild of MUHS Vice-Chancellor Lt Gen Dr Madhuri Kanitkar (retd), who is keen to push Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s digital health mission.
Live demonstration of critical surgeries for students, seeking expert advice during operations, use of mixed-reality devices, digital tools to convert speech to text having multi-language support are some of the important features of the MUHS initiative to make robust use of information technology for the students and faculty of the health science colleges affiliated to the varsity.
A joint working group, comprising functionaries from Microsoft and MUHS, will plan, in the next three months, for the smooth implementation of the MoU.
According to the MUHS registrar, Dr Kalidas Chavan “MUHS’s digital push will be a win-win situation for both the students and faculty members of the colleges affiliated to the University.
“We have prepared a roadmap to put MUHS on a path of new vision and vistas. The university is extremely happy to collaborate with Microsoft using mixed reality to reach the unreached. We are committed towards digital health as a way forward aligning with the nation’s digital India policy,” said Dr Kanitkar.
“Once implemented the medical students can see live demonstrations of complicated surgeries that take place in the hospitals attached to the medical colleges. This will help them in their learning process,” added Dr Chavan.
The university is keen that the colleges affiliated with MUHS be part of this emerging technologies-based initiative.
“The faculty of the medical colleges who undertakes surgeries in the hospitals attached to the medical colleges can make use of this technology to seek advice from experts while operating a patient in case they need,” he said. According to Dr More, the project will boost the medical education technology activities across Maharashtra.
