Post-Graduate Diploma in Geriatric Medicine (P.G.D.G.M.) Programme is a one-year Diploma Programme of 32 credits (14 credits in theory and 18 credits in practical). This programme was launched in January, 2004. The number of study centres activated at present are 21.

This Programme aims at equipping the practicing doctors with knowledge and skills in the field of Geriatric Medicine and enable them to deal with the special problems faced by the elderly. With increasing life expectancy, the proportion of elderly population is fast increasing. Aging is inevitable and irreversible. The epidemiology and the clinical features of diseases vary in this age group and drug dosages and interactions also differ. Geriatric management requires not only medical interventions, but also special economic and environmental interventions. This programme aims at not only enhancing the knowledge but also multiskilling the doctors so that they can provide primary-level care to the elderly.

The broad objectives of the Programme are to:

Upgrade the knowledge and skills for providing comprehensive healthcare to elderly;
Inculcate the inter-disciplinary approach for diagnosing and management of geriatric health problems;
Improve the clinical, social and communication skills by providing hands on training in medical colleges and district hospitals.

CourseCode	Course Name	Credits
MME-004	Basic Geriatrics (MME-004)	6
MME-005	Clinical Geriatrics (MME-005)	8
MMEL-004	Basic Geriatrics	6
MMEL-005	Clinical Geriatrics	12

Admission Procedure

Admission cycle of this programme is January session every year. Admission in the PGDGM Programme will be offered through the common prospectus of IGNOU available at all Regional Centres of IGNOU. It can also be downloaded from IGNOU website.

Implementation

The programme is offered as a distance learning programme. The programme package consists of printed course material in the form of booklets, Practical contact sessions, teleconferencing, radiocounselling, audio-video cassettes and web counseling. Theory courses are to be taken up by self study of self instructional material which have an in built teacher. For practical courses, the students have to undergo hands on training of specified skills in tertiary medical set up/ medical college called Programme study centre or a PSC. The student is posted to the medical college for 30 days. This is spread over 4 contact spells of 10 days, 8 days, 6 days and 6 days over the whole year. Here they are demonstrated and taught skills in different disciplines of medicine by trained post graduate doctors of the medical college appointed as counselors. In addition to their training in a PSC, the students are required to practice their skills in a secondary care hospital called a Skill Development Centre (SDC). The students gain proficiency in various skills under the able guidance of counselor in both PSC and SDC, the trainers called academic counsellors guide and evaluate the learner.

Teleconferencing

Teleconferencing is a one-way video and two-way audio facility. Teleconferencing is planned for every month. During teleconferencing session, students get opportunity to ask questions through phone or fax. The resource persons/experts participating in teleconferencing sessions reply to clear their doubts.

The teleconferencing facility is available at the Regional Centres and Selected Study Centres. The monthly teleconferencing schedule is sent to the Programme In-charges and Regional Directors who inform the students. Teleconferencing is done through Gyan Darshan Channel. You can also view the teleconferencing through the educational broadcast available on home page of IGNOU Website. The students must regularly attend these sessions. These help them clarify doubts and interact with other learners all over the country.

Radio Counselling

Radio counselling is held through FM and students can ask questions free of cost with phone in facilities right from their homes. A toll free telephone number 110012345 has been provided for this purpose.

Audio-video Programme

Audio and video programmes for each course have been prepared to support learning for the students. These Audio-video programmes in the form of cassettes are available at all Programme Study Centres. These Audio and video cassettes will be provided for viewing and listening. They can also hire the cassettes for viewing and listening. The videos are also telecast through DD Metro channel and schedule is informed to students in advance.

Attendance

Students are required to complete ninety percent attendance in practical contact sessions to become eligible for appearing in practical examination.

Evaluation

Continuous and term end assessment of both theory and practical courses is carried out.

Continuous Evaluation of Theory Component - Assignments

Assignment is a means of continuing assessment of theory and practical. These assignments consist of a set of questions and activities that a student has to answer at his own place by referring to the blocks. Assignments help to recapitulate the theory. Thus assignments also help to reinforce learning in distance learning system of education. The assignments carry thirty percent weightage of the theory component. 70% weightage is for the term end examination. Students are required to obtain fifty percent marks as pass percentage in each assignment separately.

Term-end Examination

Term-end examination for theory is held twice in a year i.e. in the month of June/December. There is one paper for each of the two theory courses of 70 marks each. Each paper is of 3 hours duration. A student has to secure at least 35 marks (50%) in each of the theory papers for successful completion.

A student could appear in both or any one of the two theory papers at a time. For appearing in the theory term-end examination, the student should fulfill two requisites, i.e. filling up the form in time and timely submission of assignments related to that theory paper or the papers that he/she want to appear. The theory term end examination form is available on the IGNOU website.

Continuous Evaluation of Practical Component

Internal Assessment

Like the theory courses, the practical courses have 30% weightage from internal assessment. The internal assessment of the practical component is done by the counsellors located both at the PSC and the SDC. There are no formal question papers to assess this component. The counsellors make a subjective assessment of the understanding and performance of the student on every skill. In PSC, all the skills dealt in a spell is evaluated by the end of the respective spell.

The marks on internal assessment is given by the PSC/SDC counsellors in a proforma provided for the respective courses. This proforma is handed over by the respective SDC/PSC counsellors to the programme in-charge as soon as the student completes all the requisite activities under them.

The weightage of marks is provided in the programme guide. Passing in internal assessment of the practical is a prerequisite for appearing in the Term-end Practical examination. A student has to secure at least 15 marks to be declared as pass in the internal assessment component. If a student fails to secure pass marks, he/she has to repeat all the practical activities (at PSC and SDC) of related courses after paying the required fees at the regional centre. The fee is same as that applicable for readmission to practical Courses.

Term-end Examination

The practical term end examination is usually held once in a year i.e November/December. However if need arises, it may held twice a year.

The student appears in the term-end examination of practical component at his programme study centre. As term-end examination is conducted for all the three practical courses, the examination is spread over 3 days i.e. one day each for each discipline. The Programme in-charge informs the students about the schedule of the practical examination.

The examination pattern is uniform in the whole country. A student has to score at least 35 marks in any of the two practical courses to pass successfully. In case, he/she fails, he/she has to repeat the respective course/s.

Certification

After successful completion of all the four courses, a student is awarded a certificate for PGDGM programme.

Programme study Centres

RC CODE	RC NAME	SC CODE	SC ADDRESS
13	BANGALORE	1337	DR. MEDHA Y. RAO PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE M.S. RAMAIAH MEDICAL COLLEGE MSR NAGAR MSRIT POST BANGALORE KARNATAKA 560054 080-3608888
14	COCHIN	1440	DR. GEORGE PAUL PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE AMARITA INSTT. OF MEDICAL SCI. & RESEARCH CENTRE ELAMAKKARA KOCHI KERALA 682026 0484-2338990
12	JAMMU	1254	DR. RATAN PRAKASH KUDYAR PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE A.S.C. COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCI. AND HOSPITAL SIDHRA J & K 180006 0191-2662270 0941919119 [email protected]
28	KOLKATA	2843	DR DIPANJAN BANDYOPADHAYA PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE KOLKATTA MEDICAL COLLEGE #88, COLLEGE STREET KOLKATA WEST BENGAL 700073 033-22412870, 22414920 09433083913
29	DELHI 2	0774	PROG. G.K. INGLE PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE MAULANA AZAD MEDICAL COLLEGE B.S.Z. ROAD NEW DELHI DELHI 110002 011-23231478
01	HYDERABAD	0149	DR. Y. SATHYANARAYANA RAJU PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE NIZAM'S INSTT OF MEDICAL SCI. PUNJAGUTTA HYDERABAD ANDHRA PRADESH 500034 040-23390933
88	JODHPUR	2352	DR. ARVIND MATHUR PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE DR. SAMPURNANAND MEDICAL COLL. RESIDENCY ROAD JODHPUR RAJASTHAN 342003 0291-2434374-76
21	BHUBANESHWAR	2147	PROF. DHIRENDRANATH MAHARANA PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE S.C.B. MEDICAL COLLEGE CUTTACK ORISSA 753007 2614355
48	VARANASI	2759	DR. I.S GAMBHIR PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY VARANASI UTTAR PRADESH 221005 0542-2307500, 2367568
30	SRINAGAR	1255	DR.PARVAIZ AHMAD SHAH PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE GOVT. MEDICAL COLLEGE SRINAGAR J & K 190005 0194-453114, 453115
22	KHANNA	2217	DR.SHAVINDER SINGH PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE CHRISTIAN MEDICAL COLLEGE LUDHIANA PUNJAB 141008 0161-5010819
15	BHOPAL	1556	DR. V.K. SHARMA PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE GANDHI MEDICAL COLLEGE BHOPAL MADHYA PRADESH 462001 0755-2540590, 2540059
29	DELHI 2	0777	PROF. S. DWIVEDI PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MED SCI. G.T.B. HOSPITAL DILSHAD GARDEN DELHI DELHI 110095 011-22582106, 22582972
49	MUMBAI	1635	DR. N.K. HASE PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE L.T. MUNICIPAL MEDICAL COLLEGE SION MUMBAI MAHARASHTRA 400022 044-24076381
04	GUWAHATI	0447	DR. D.P. CHAKRABORTY PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE GUWAHATI MEDICAL COLLEGE PO INDRAPUR GUWAHATI ASSAM -32 0361-2342323
25	CHENNAI	2565	DR. VINOD SHAH PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE CHRISTIAN MEDCL COLLEGE & HOSP VELLORE TAMILNADU 632004
27	LUCKNOW	2782	PROF. ASHOK CHANDRA PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE KGMU SHEHMEENA ROAD CHOWK LUCKNOW UTTAR PRADESH 226003 0522-2257540 0522-2257539
41	JABALPUR	1588	LT.COL. R.K. AGARWAL PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE MILITARY HOSPITAL JABALPUR CANT MADHYA PRADESH 482001 0761-2726300
36	NAGPUR	1634	PROG I/C IGNOU PROG STUDY CENTRE MAHATAMA GANDHI INSITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, SEVRGRAM DIST VARDHA MAHARASHTRA 442102 07152-284341
16	PUNE	1676	DR ANITA BASAVA RAJ PROG I/C IGNOU PROG STUDY CENTRE B J COLLEGE & SASSOON GENERAL ROAD PUNE MAHARASHTRA 411001 020-26126868
09	AHMEDABAD	0917	DR. SHARAD VYAS PROG. I/C IGNOU PROG. STUDY CENTRE B.J. MEDICAL COLLEGE CIVIL HOSPITAL ASARAWA AHMEDABAD GUJARAT 380016 079-2123721

Regional Centres:

Post-Graduate Diploma in Geriatric Medicine (PGDGM)

Post-Graduate Diploma in Geriatric Medicine (PGDGM)