On 23rd September, a gender sensitization workshop was organized for the recently first year MBBS students in SN hall which is recently added to the MBBS curriculum by NMC. The workshop was the result of the joint efforts of the Gender sensitization and Internal Complaints Committee of the institute and the team of Streekaal: Stree Ka Samay Aur Sach magazine Group who visited Wardha as a part of events being organised on successful completion of 20 years of the journey of this magazine and its roots in the soil of Wardha. This research-based magazine has been playing a special role in spreading feminist consciousness in the Hindi heartland for the last many years through its print version and the live shows on YouTube and Facebook channels.
The program aimed to help participants recognize differences in biological sex and their gender identity in society. The topics of an interactive discussion with the future health care professional to recognize the harms a highly gendered society causes not only to women and other sex identities, but also to the dominant and ruling constituent of such societies, i.e., men. A separate session explored how gender identities are exploited in current print/social media or mainstream cinema to increase profit and power. There was also a detailed discussion on the role of gender in a person's health and disease and why a deep gender sensitivity is necessary to become a successful and effective health professional. Students participated enthusiastically in all these sessions. The presence of large number of students and other participants in the workshop was indicative of its success. Total 91 people attended the workshop.
Dr. Anupama Gupta (Presiding officer ICC MGIMS and Co-Editor Streekaal), Dr. Chetna Maliye (Professor of Community Medicine, MGIMS), Dr. Harshal Sathe (Associate Professor of Psychiatry, MGIMS) and the Streekaal team led by its editor Mr. Sanjeev Chandan, Ms. Manorama Singh, Mr. Binay Thakur, Dr. Raksha Geeta, Ms. Afreen Faizan, Mr. Rajeev Suman, renowned social workers from Nagpur. Ms. Chhaya Khobragade facilitated various sessions. Dr. Shobhit Mathur (Junior Resident of Psychiatry, MGIMS), Dr. Ankita Wankhede (Junior Resident of Pathology), Ms. Nandini Gogate and Mr. Kaustubh Sekhar (both first year students) made special efforts, as volunteers, to register the students for the workshop.