E-Paper
Failed medicos disrupt OPD services in Bihar, demand re-evaluation
As many as 423 of the 1,140 MBBS students (37.10%) who appeared in the exams across nine medical colleges in Bihar have failed the first university examinations. The results were declared on August 30.
Some MBBS second-year students of the 2019 batch disrupted the outpatient department (OPD) services at Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) and Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNCH) on Monday as a mark of protest, demanding re-evaluation of answer sheets of the MBBS first professional examination, conducted by the Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU) in March.
As many as 423 of the 1,140 MBBS students (37.10%) who appeared in the exams across nine medical colleges in Bihar have failed the first university examinations. The results were declared on August 30.
According to Vishal Kumar, a medico of 2019 batch at DMCH, out of 120 students pursuing the MBBS course at DMCH, 50 have failed.
On the other hand, as many as 39 students out of 116 from JLNMCH were declared failed.
When contacted, the principal of JLNMCH, Dr Hemant Kumar Sinha, said that protesting students vented their ire against AKU for poor results. After the symbolic protest, OPD services were restored. He expressed sympathy with students while saying it was unprecedented that so many students failed this time.
Protesting medicos at DMCH were persuaded by students in charge, Dr O P Giri, to allow the functioning of OPD in the interest of patients. Later on, a delegation of students approached the college principal Dr K N Mishra, who asked students concerned to provide their roll numbers and registration numbers for forwarding them to AKU for re-evaluation purposes.
According to informed sources, these days, evaluation of answer sheets is done on computers by converting them into a PDF file. “Even an attempted question by a student was marked as unattempted,” alleged a student.
According to a memorandum submitted to governor-cum-chancellor on behalf of the Indian Medical Association, as many as 1,172 students from nine medical colleges appeared in the examination, of which 447 were declared failed. Considering the inconvenience caused to students because of the change in examination pattern, besides the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, a re-evaluation was requested.
Meanwhile, OPD services were also affected at Patna Medical College and Hospital due to the protests by MBBS students, said an official.
