Graduation ceremonies celebrate the incredible achievements of one’s college experience and mark the beginning of the next part of students’ lives.
On 23 February 2017, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS), Sevagram celebrated the culmination of years of hard work of the class of 2011 at the graduation ceremony and bade farewell to the class.
Hon’ble Suresh Prabhu —the Minister of Railways and described as "un-common whiff of much needed fresh air in public life" — delivered the commencement address at the graduation ceremony. Known to be technology savvy, Mr. Prabhu used video-conferencing from his office to tell the graduates what the society expects them to be.
Mr. Prabhu spoke of the ethos and culture, traditions and ethics the medical profession is associated with. He reminded the audience that over centuries, society has treated doctors as demi-Gods—an image tarnished by some blacksheeps in the profession. He asked students to guard the ethical standards of their profession and prompted them that they should not only demonstrate both humanistic care and clinical excellence but also bring humanity, compassion, and empathy at the point of care. “Do not assess yourself with the procedures that you do, surgeries you perform, interventions you choose or money that you earn. You must strive to become better human beings,” he said.
“You must learn from your role models—people you can identify with, who have qualities you would like to have and are in positions you would like to reach. Venerated as a paragon of clinical and pedagogic excellence, these doctors have inculcated professional values, attitudes, and behaviors in students and younger generation of doctors. We must look at- and emulate those attributes in our professional and personal journey to become good human beings,” he said.
The class of 2011 also swore to the Hippocratic Oath attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates before their peers, family, friends and mentors. Dr. SP Kalantri, Professor of Medicine at MGIMS, administered them the famous oath. The atmosphere was charged with emotions and excitement as the students donning graduation regalia recited the ethical code—adopted as a guide to conduct by the medical profession in the graduation ceremonies of medical schools, worldwide.
Earlier, Dean Patond congratulated the students and told them that it was a celebration of the culmination of years their study. MGIMS is proud of its graduates, he said, and students ought to be equally proud to join a 48-year old community of distinguished MGIMS alumni. “Let be assured that your foundation of graduation— MGIMS— is strong, premiere and dynamic institute. You can build your success stories of specialization on this strong foundation with wings of passion,” he said.
Dhirubhai Mehta, president Kasturba Health Society, quoted Binayak Sen and reminded the students that it is a myth that simple people need simple doctors. Sevagram has put emphasis on ethical standard to be observed by all doctors. MGIMS is conscious of the fact that medical education needs to maintain the right balance in the eternal triangle of quantity, quality, and equity. “In its perennial quest to attain the perfect blend, it never forgets that the three arms are not in conflict and equity cannot be kept in abeyance.
He emphasized that the medical education at MGIMS focuses on rural communities. We believe that our students are sensitive to the felt needs of the people and we expect them to adhere to the professional norms which include altruism, compassion, empathy, accountability, honesty, and integrity,” he said.
Mr. Dhirubhai Mehta also gave MBBS passing certificate to the 2011 batch graduates. They had waited years to walk across the stage surrounded by their peers, family, and friends.
Dr. Satish Kumar, In-Charge Students’ Council, explained the genesis of the graduation ceremony and proposed the vote of thanks. A mother of a graduate put it so aptly, “It is heart-warming to see all the graduates proudly celebrating their achievements with their families, friends, and teachers. Our children have worked very hard to reach these heights and we hope that they would contribute to work hard to bring hope to families – hopes of a better future, hopes of career prospects, and hopes of contributing to the upliftment of communities.”