Ajit Pawar proposes restart of medical colleges offline in Maharashtra

Pawar said that each year thousands of doctors pass out from these colleges and in the pandemic their services are essential

Following the Covid review meeting in Pune, Ajit Pawar proposed the resumption of offline classes in medical colleges across the state. Pawar said that he would suggest to the chief minister and the medical education minister that the classes in medical colleges with fully vaccinated students and professors could be restarted with Covid-appropriate behavior.

BJ Government Medical College's Molecular lab prepares for Coronavirus testing at Sassoon hospital in Pune. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Representative Photo)

Pawar said that each year thousands of doctors pass out from these colleges and in the pandemic their services are essential.

“On the state level, we are thinking of restarting the classes in medical colleges if students and staff are fully vaccinated. Every year thousands of doctors pass out from these institutions. If medical colleges remain closed then this will get hampered. It would cause scarcity of doctors. I will suggest this to the CM and medical education minister. As a precautionary measure the students and the staff can be tested after 10-15 days of classes,” said Pawar following the weekly Covid review meeting at the divisional commissioner office.

Dr Prashant Munde advised the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) wing in BJ Medical college Pune that offline classes could be restarted.

“The offline classes with fully vaccinated students and the staff can be resumed. Undergraduate and Postgraduate medical students can be benefitted. Also, by resuming the academic activities, administration will get doctors. According to me, even the NEET should not have been postponed,” said Dr Munde, advisor to MARD.