The Department provides unique and appropriate learning opportunities for the students to prepare them for Primary Health care. For this purpose, the department has one Urban Health Center at Peelamedu covering 10,000 urban poor and four Rural Health Centers at Vedapatti, Nilambur, Vellalore and Karadiwawi covering 100,000 rural population, offering extensive field-practice areas. It also has a PG Program (MD) in Community Medicine.

The Institution is a member of The International Network of Community Oriented Health Professions Educational Institutions through the Department’s training activities that prepare doctors for Primary Health Care. The department starts its Community Oriented training right from year 1 through its “Community Orientation Programme”. In Year 2, it introduces them to Family Health Care and Community-based Research through its “Problem Solving for Better Health” Project, in year 3 to “Community Health Program” and during Internship to developing Skills for Primary Health Care through its “Competent Primary-care Intern Program”. It is also a member of the Health Policy Research Network – HELPONET, a National level Network of Health Institutions coordinated by IIM Ahmedabad. At the State-level, it is a member of the Tamilnadu Voluntary Health Association through which it networks with NGOs in Western Tamilnadu and provides the NGOs with Health manpower expertise and services.

The department runs various Institution and Community-based projects apart from its academic and social development activities. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Funded “Integrated Family Development Project” (1987-1995), The Govt. of India-MOH&FW funded “Reproductive & Child Health Project” (1999-2004), The WHO-AIIMS “Surveillance of Cardiovascular risk-factors & educational intervention Project”, The Bill & Melinda Gates WHO IARC “Cervical cancer Screening cum RCT of Single Freeze Vs Double Freeze Cryotherapy” (2003-2005), The USAID-APAC Project for prevention & control of HIV/AIDS “Continuing Education & Training Center” and “PSG AIDS Infotech Center & Website (www.psgaidsinfo.org) to name a few, are large community based projects which serve the community and provide learning opportunity for Undergraduate and Post Graduate students of the institution who get posted to the department to get Community Orientation and develop Primary care, Communication and Community-based Research Skills.

To get more information about the department’s activities log on to the Website (http://www.psgaidsinfo.org/aboutus.htm).