Documenting the Family Adoption Program: A Reflection of Society and its Evolving Needs

Dear Sir, Family Adoption Programme (FAP) is a flagship programme of the National Medical Commission (NMC) which has been proposed as a part of Curriculum-Based Medical Education (CBME) to concoct competent Indian Medical Graduates (IMGs).[1] One of the roles of IMG is to serve as leaders at the primary healthcare level and for attaining this a village outreach program has been initiated by NMC. The program aids the dual purpose of serving the underserved rural areas and training the students as physicians of first contact. The initiative has been made mandatory from the 2023–24 batch with the Community Medicine department taking the lead and involving faculty and healthcare workers at the grassroots level.[2] The initiative of FAP faced resistance due to unfamiliarity, fear of failure and disruption of established norms. But by the constant efforts and hand-holding by NMC, awareness settled in at institutional levels followed by involvement at local levels leading to the engagement of students, faculty and families at the village level. Although the program is still in the early stages of its implementation, the efforts and commitment shown by NMC to make it successful are evident. The camps held at village levels proved to be a very effective measure to make the program popular among villagers. Similarly, to encourage the students both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, recently NMC and the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM) jointly showcased the activities of FAP in the form of collages (a collection of photos),[3] essays (first-hand experiences by students)[4] and survey report.[5] The response was extraordinarily convincing with more than 7000 entries from all over the country. The best responses have been published by NMC and IAPSM as three booklets namely ‘Making of a Family Physician’ and ‘Art of Making a Family Physician’ along with ‘Family Adoption Programme Survey Report 2024’.[3-5] The collages depicted various emotions of students and villagers regarding the FAP,[3] and the essays were reflections on FAP visits by students. The learnings and their expectations are shared in innovative ways.[4] The survey indicated that 496 medical colleges participated and more than 2.7 lakh families were surveyed. The 17% population was found to have elevated blood pressure and 14% had abnormal random blood sugar levels. The nutritional assessment revealed that 15% of children had stunting, 10.5% had wasting, 24% of women were obese, 14% were underweight, 22% of men were obese, and 12% were underweight. Anemia was found in 31% of children, 38% and 39% of pregnant and non-pregnant women, respectively, and 19% of men. It was found that Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID linkage has reached only 22% of the representative population and in the future FAP can be exploited as a way to register families for ABHA ID.[5] These initiatives of IAPSM related to FAP have become a reckoner for many such initiatives with the proactiveness of fellow members. The future lies with those who dream of an idea and live up to it, and success falls eventually. There are many untouched areas of Community Medicine where such proactiveness is required which may take the subject to new heights. It is high time for the office bearers to lead the association in collaboration with national institutes and organizations where we are given due credit for our substantial and documented work. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.