NEET-PG delayed: Students unhappy

Hours after the Prime Minister’s office’s announcement that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Post Graduate courses (NEET-PG) will be postponed by at least four months in order to boost availability of medical personnel to fight Covid-19, the reaction of parents and students

Hours after the Prime Minister’s office’s announcement that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Post Graduate courses (NEET-PG) will be postponed by at least four months in order to boost availability of medical personnel to fight Covid-19, the reaction of parents and students.

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This decision comes less than a week after the National Medical Commission (NMC) in its circular requested medical colleges to continue the residency period of PG medical students as part of the Covid task force, especially at a time when the country is witnessing the second wave of the pandemic.

“Medical personnel completing hundred days of Covid duty will be given priority in the forthcoming regular government recruitment programs. While medical interns shall be deployed in covid management duties under the supervision of their faculty, final-year MBBS students can be utilised for tele-consultation and monitoring of mild covid cases under supervision of senior faculty,” said a statement released by the PMO on Monday.

Final-year PG medical examinations have been stalled in most states due to the deterioration of Covid situation. Similarly, no fresh admissions to PG medical and diploma courses were done due to the postponement of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-PG) exams. NEET-PG exams are generally conducted in February every year and the final year examinations are generally held between April-May in Maharashtra colleges.

Many students took to various social media sites to share their unhappiness with the decision to postpone NEET-PG. Many felt this delay will severely affect the plans of higher studies of PG medical students. “We’ve been working non-stop for several months now and the government needs to understand that if they conduct exams on time, they will still have more students/manpower to join the Covid task force,” said Anukriti Thakur, a final year PG resident doctor.