Wednesday 29 April 2015

MBBS Program in China -The Importance of Human Dissection in Medical Studies

Dissection also called anatomization is one of the main component in medical studies. In this human dissection process, it will provide insight of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the functions and relationships of human components and organs.

Human dissection is commonly practiced in the teaching of anatomy for students of medicine, while students of biology often engage in dissections of animals like rat and frog. Dissection is a medical practice utilized in pathology and forensic medicine during autopsy.



"Anatomy is the foundation for the language of medicine: the language health-care professionals use for communicating about patients," said Todd Olson, an anatomist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. 

Human dissection has always been the most important method of teaching anatomy to medical students for hundreds of years and "Cadaver" is an essential item for medical students in this crucial hands-on experience in medical teaching. Many medical universities around the world are facing the shortage and limited supply of donated cadavers for anatomical studies.

In view of the importance of human dissection, Hacettepe University is desperately in need of cadavers for its medical students and now turns to China for solution. Read the full story below published on 28th April 2015.

Turkey: Hacettepe University turns to China over shortage of cadavers



An acute shortage of cadavers at medical schools in Turkey has forced universities to import this essential item for medical students. China, a leading importer to Turkey of everything from umbrellas to motorcycles, may offer a solution.

Hacettepe University in Ankara, home to a prestigious Faculty of Medicine, is considering importing cadavers from China for this indispensable tool in training of would-be doctors.

Abdurrahman Güngör, director of Hacettepe's university research park, told Anadolu Agency it would be a win-win for the university and China. "We will help them in developing robotic surgery simulation centers and they will supply us with cadavers for lower prices," he said. Güngör said one cadaver is sold for $15,000 and universities in Turkey had difficulty in acquiring the cadavers.

"Hacettepe University is a leading school on medical education in Turkey. Students get to know every aspect of medicine. They have to dissect the bodies, to be able to examine the live tissue [instead of plastic ones]," Güngör said.

He said every classroom had one cadaver at medical schools in China while it is not the case in Turkey. "Here, one school has two cadavers and students sometimes are not even able to touch the body," Güngör said.

The cadaver shortage is attributed to a lack of donations, a common problem faced by medical schools around the globe as families of the deceased often shy away from donating bodies to schools, out of cultural and religious concerns. The shortage in the world is further aggravated due to a growing demand not only from medical schools but also pharmaceutical companies. Finding the perfect cadaver for training purposes, a cadaver without a disease, obesity and disability, also poses a challenge as cadavers up for donation are often not up for the task.

Medical schools in Turkey also complain that judiciary officials often order the burial of unclaimed bodies, a main source for cadavers, instead of handing them to the schools.

Several universities in Turkey have launched campaigns, urging the public to donate cadavers, in recent years.

Turkey last year passed a law that allowed the importing of cadavers although regulations remain murky, complicating the importing process. Hacettepe University was among the first institutions to import cadavers after the law passed, acquiring six cadavers from the United States.

The country has 86 medical schools but many suffer from a shortage of cadavers. Some students even complete their studies without dissecting a cadaver or working on plastic models. (Source - dailysabah.com)

Hong Kong medical schools have long struggled with a shortage of donated corpses, which students need for their anatomy studies. Photo: Sam Tsang


As early as 2nd year into MBBS program, medical students are required to perform dissection of human brain at China University
Study clinical medicine is China is popular among international students. In addition to Chinese-medium medical programs, many medical schools in China also offer MBBS program fully taught in English for many years. 

In Australia, statistics revealed by Australia Medical Council (AMC) that there were 73 International Medical Graduates who studied western medicine in China and took part in the 2nd part of clinical test with 51 passed in the examination. 

The high passing rate of almost 70% was partly due to the high standard of clinical training they received in China. International medical graduates (IMGs) who wish to practise medicine in Australia are required to applied and were assessed through the AMC Standard pathway for qualification assessment. Click here to view the AMC report.

Hence, study western medicine is China will certainly provide you with many opportunities of hands-on clinical human dissection experiences. Coupled with the modern and outstanding medical facilities and equipment in their class A hospitals will definitely give your added advantage in the final year of clinical training and internship in China's hospitals and will certainly provide excellent learning opportunity as there are many clinical cases to be observed thru out the clinical years.

Autumn 2015 intake for MBBS program is in progress. Apply now!

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