Maharashtra: Hold online exams or promote medical students, say parents

Days after state minister for medical education Amit Deshmukh and Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) postponed second and third-year medical exams, social media is abuzz with mixed reactions. While many were happy with the state’s decision, especially in view of rising Covid-19 cases across the state and country, some feel this delay will once again affect the next academic year.

Days after state minister for medical education Amit Deshmukh and Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) postponed second and third-year medical exams, social media is abuzz with mixed reactions. While many were happy with the state’s decision, especially in view of rising Covid-19 cases across the state and country, some feel this delay will once again affect the next academic year.

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“These exams were originally supposed to take place in January-February, but were delayed due to rising cases. Now the government has scheduled them from June 2, but there’s no guarantee the situation will be better by then as well,” said Sudha Shenoy, parent of an MBBS student. She added that instead of postponing exams any further, authorities should instead hold online exams or promote second and third-year students based on their performance through the year.

Last week, several medical students had approached MUHS stating that at least 500 students from several medical colleges in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Satara and Solapur are currently in quarantine after testing positive, while many have family members who tested positive recently and have to follow the two-week quarantine period. This exam affects between 40,000-50,000 students across the state.

Delay in the exams also means there will be delay in completing the next academic year. For courses which are already reeling under delays of the last academic year, this means more chaos. “Every year, final-year MBBS students graduate and start internship by first week of May. If this delay persists, hospitals will have no interns coming in May 2022. Authorities need to keep this in mind as well,” said Brijesh Sutaria, a parent.

Admissions to various professional courses were delayed this year and one of the worst affected lot were those aiming for undergraduate nursing courses in the state, admissions to which got over recently. “Every year hospitals get first-year nursing students as interns to help them, and this is important especially at a time when the country is in the middle of a pandemic. But due to the delay in admissions, no first-year intern has made it to hospitals, leaving the hospital staff overworked,” said Dr Ramling Mali, member of the Indian Nursing Council, and former president of Maharashtra Nursing Council.