FICCI launches online course on coronavirus management to help ‘if situation gets worse’

The nine-module course is open to those even without a science background and is free of cost.

Representational image | PTI

New Delhi: The Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has launched an online certificate course on the coronavirus, which it hopes will provide a workforce if the situation deteriorates in the country. 

The course officially titled ‘COVID-19 Certificate on Awareness and Management’, is open to even those without a science background and deals with awareness and management of the outbreak.

FICCI has launched the course in association with Medvarsity, an online medical certification and training platform.

FICCI along with Medvarsity is organizing free certificate course on #Covid_19 Awareness & Management. For information, visit https://t.co/QgDD0XU85F.#StopThePanic#IndiaFightsCOVID19 pic.twitter.com/cKByxNLhxF

— FICCI (@ficci_india) March 17, 2020

 

According to the Medvarsity website, as many as 20,318 students have so far enrolled for the online course. 

“If the situation gets worse, there will be a requirement for a lot of trained manpower and in the future the government can hire those who know more about it,” a FICCI official told ThePrint. 

The course material also contains videos related to clinical presentation, treatment of COVID-19 that develops due to coronavirus infection, prevention of a corona outbreak and case management. It also contains a PDF file with information on the dos and don’ts in the case of an outbreak in a region. 

According to latest available information, COVID-19 is currently in the Stage Two phase in India, and according to officials at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there has been no community transmission yet. 

The total cases in the country has risen to 172, with three deaths. 

A nine-module course

The course has nine modules and anyone with a social media account and can access and complete them. 

There are no fees and there is no per-determined time limit to complete the course.  

Apart from the nine modules, the course also has eight videos, a PDF file, an online quiz and a file associated with assessment of the participant. The videos are meant to help explain aspects such as an introduction about the coronavirus, its composition and how it spreads.

The course is of nine modules | Screenshot

There is no practical training associated with the course. At the end of the course, every student will be given a certificate along with feedback. 

“The course has no fixed time schedule. There are nine modules and it is up to you to finish them as soon as possible,” the FICCI official quoted above said. 

FICCI has launched this course in association with the Medvarsity, which claims on its website that it is the first and largest institution in India to conduct online medical certifications.