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On 27 April, National Medical Commission (NMC) issued an advisory for all the medical colleges across the country to postpone postgraduate final-year examinations citing ‘surge of COVID-19 cases’ as the reason.
As junior resident doctors in their PG final year, from across the country, we are not happy with this decision taken by NMC as it has delayed our schedule to graduate as MD/MS/MDS/DM/MCh in our respective specialities and super-specialities.
NMC’s decision falls short of the logic when it cites the surge in COVID cases as the reason to postpone exams of doctors as we are already exposed to the virus while carrying out our medical duties.
“If you can call doctors for hospital duties, then why can’t you take their exams?”Dr Manish Jangra, Junior Resident, RML Hospital
Doctors have been at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that has destroyed lakhs of families, including their own. No one, including the government, can hesitate in admitting that the fight against the coronavirus has been led by doctors and other healthcare workers. Now, denying us timely degrees is giving us a sense of betrayal in return for the services that we are providing across the country.
The resident doctors have already been dealing with a lot of stress, working amid the pandemic for the last one and a half year. Uncertainty over the exam schedule has come as an extra mental and physical burden on us.
“It is not fixed when the exams will be conducted. If NMC can postpone the exam like this, it can decide when to conduct the exams.”Dr Dnyaneshwar Dhobale Patil, Junior Resident, JJ Hospital
We urge the National Medical Commission to release the exam dates, which will clear the uncertainty that looms over our future.
After completion of tenure, it is exploitation to continue to work as junior residents. We should be promoted as senior residents. We demand timely conduct of exams with a notice of 4 to 6 weeks.
There are only four papers (subjects). If you want, you can conduct one exam in the morning, one in the evening, and get done with it in two days and spare one day for practicals. If needed, you may take exams continuously for four days and we can appear for practicals on the fifth or sixth day. In one week, all the procedures can be completed. Conducting exams is not a difficult task.Dr Vinay Kumar, Junior Resident, LLRM Medical College
On 21 May, Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) had also written to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan for the timely issuance of postgraduate degrees to junior doctors.
“I appeal to the government to announce a date for PG third-year exams. With folded hands, I urge Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to look into the matter as soon as possible.”Dr Manish Jangra, Junior Resident, RML Hospital
We are hopeful that the government will listen to our plea and release exam dates soon.
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