Covid duty by MBBS interns to be treated as compulsory rotating internship: NMC

The decision follows the announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office to address the shortage of human resources in the fight against the pandemic.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has stated that Covid-19 duties performed by MBBS students will be treated as compulsory rotating internship.

The government had announced that the services of final year MBBS students can be utilised for providing services such as teleconsultation and monitoring of mild Covid cases. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The decision follows the announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office to address the shortage of human resources in the fight against the pandemic. To augment manpower amid the crisis, the government had announced that the services of final year MBBS students can be utilised for providing services such as teleconsultation and monitoring of mild Covid cases after due orientation by faculty.

NMC secretary Dr RK Vats said that considering the unprecedented situation due to the pandemic, where augmentation of medical manpower is critical, duties performed by interns during their posting in various places or departments for Covid-19 management will be treated as the duty in those departments for purpose of compulsory rotating internship.

As per the NMC notification, the MBBS interns will be involved in different departments for different durations. “They will spend two months in general medicine, including psychiatry, 15 days in emergency or critical care and two months in community medicine,” the notification reads.