We need a cost-effective and integrated healthcare system approachable to common man which has the goal of physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual health; Cultural and socio-economic development and educational pursuit of weaker sections of society living in the villages of Kerala/India; Relieve and prevent stress-related diseases in professionals and non-professionals in urban settings.

My vision is to work towards incorporating arts and knowledge systems such as philosophy into a holistic medical educational curriculum at national level, starting with and done in conjunction with the Medical Colleges of Kerala State. The best minds in the fields of Medicine (modern medicine and indigenous Indian medicine), Arts and Sciences will work together to evolve a holistic method for the physical, intellectual and artistic revival and nurturing of human minds and bodies.

In an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Therese Southgate illustrates the unity of Medicine and Arts. “Medicine and art have a common goal - to reach the ideal. To heal creation. This is done by paying attention. The physician attends the patient; the artist attends nature - If we are attentive in looking, in listening and in waiting, then sooner or later something in the depths of ourselves will respond. Art , like medicine is not an arrival, but is a search. This is why, perhaps, we call medicine itself an art.” ( Ed. R.S Downie; Oxford University Press)

I propose a three-in -one approach towards evolving a holistic Medical Educational curriculum. ( submitted to the Chief Minister of Kerala ).The project is planned, researched and based on evidence recommended for a National Health Policy decision of the Government of India. The first and the second steps mentioned below are ideal to be implemented at the Governmental level . The Third step mentioned below is better for implementation at a Non-Government Organization (NGO) level with income from it being allocated to developmental programmes in the educational , health and socio-cultural spheres. This Trust is a humble beginning for that third step.

An Academic  centre  where bioethics, medical  sociology, healthcare economics and medical  humanity departments  will function  in an integrated manner with western  and  indigenous  medical  institutions and educational centres under the guidance of the Vice  Chancellor.

Discussions and seminars on health-related matters and integrated opinions aimed towards becoming health policy of the nation. A sound health policy of the nation is also a sound socio-economic policy and will create a value-oriented educational transformation in the mindset of the citizens. The above-mentioned approach will partly adopt the methodology of the Medical University of South Carolina, and will be planned according to traditional geographical features of Kerala/India and availability of nutrients and food in the state at an agrarian level.

Academic  Wing 

Administrative Wing

• This is concerned with day-to-day administration, staff appointment, conducting examinations on prescribed time, generation of research funding, maintenance of accounts, staff payroll and harnessing of various digital methods and strategies including but not restricted to e-governance. The Administrative head has to be an IAS bureaucrat of the Cadre of Chief Secretary with the reputation of a good and ethical career. The Administrative Head will report to the Vice Chancellor.

Citizen’s Wing

• These will be intented towards dynamic inclusion of communities, both rural and urban. Citizen’s Centres will be set up in selected key rural and urban centres and these centres will be directly under the Integrated Centre discussed in the Academic Section. The Citizen’s Centres will have facility for integrated client-centered family therapy.
  
  

Step  2:  COMPREHENSIVE  PLAN  FOR  THE INTEGRATED  CENTRE  FOR  HOSPITAL PRACTICES

Gestalt model of Bio-psychological Medicine

• When environment is polluted, when food and clean water is not available, when waste is not disposed of properly and when job and education is not provided, the community becomes unhealthy. Nature and human existence is intertwined and disturbance of one disturbs the other. Mere expenditure on drugs and grand multi-speciality hospitals alone will not be enough to ensure nation’s health and progress. This is the modern understanding of health and value of integrating healthcare with indigenous methods suitable for each geographical situation is essential.
  
  

Designing an integrated service:-

• Mainstream practitioners will need appropriate referral guidelines based on need and evidence.

• Public and private sectors will need well educated professionally regulated therapists.

• Capacity for research and creation of large outcome data sets will require development of competent networks of practitioners and researchers.

• Organisations involved must be capable of collaboration and reflective practice.

• Reflective practices of Clinical Training will require development of systems for data collection and consistent methods for reporting outcomes.
  
  

The academic development consists of and depends on the following:

• Further development of Inter-professional ethos.

• Appropriate interdisciplinary referral activity and reflection.

• Ways of improving access to Clinical Training and optimize relevance and effectiveness of it.

• Practical approach to evaluation that reflect everyday practice.

• Evaluation of processes and outcome relevant to client’s and student’s needs.

• Continual clinical learning cycles to improve delivery of service.

• Appropriate action on reflection to optimize professional and practice development.

• Digitalize the manuscripts –both published and unpublished.

• Make it available to public through a website so that the manuscripts can be read and understood by a wide population.

• Those research scholars and students interested in the topics can either contact and clear their doubts through the website or visit the author directly and have an interactive dialogue and see the reference work museum.

Current projects undertaken to achieve the vision :

• Project for Music Therapy Research chair , as highest authority of interuniversity Research in Kerala , submitted to M G University Kottayam in 2010 July

• Project submitted for Faculty Training Programme in Calicut University through the center for Music and Drama at Thrissur

• Integrated curriculum for healthcare through Music Therapy as the golden link www.we-asc.org/suvarna

• Health village schemes ( Ref: Music Therapy in Admin , edu, management.Readworthy publications .New Delhi 2008; Nadalayasindhu . D C Books Kottayam 2008)

• A virtual classroom and library for study of Indology, Indian culture and heritage through an interactive website