Gujarat: Medical, paramedical undergrads want exams postponed

“We are not demanding a mass promotion. Since these are professional courses we understand the importance of exams. What we want from the authorities is to postpone the exams by a month or two and conduct these in September,” a final year MBBS student of BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital Asarwa said on condition of anonymity, adding that the college was threatening students to not speak to the media after they raised their demands earlier this week.

Similar concerns were shared by a BDS student from Ahmedabad. The demand has been raised by medical and paramedical students from eight medical colleges in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, all affiliated to Gujarat University.

“Looking at the situation in the city where Covid-19 cases refuse to fall, the university plans to conduct our exams from July 27 which is not a wise decision. When all other universities and colleges have put their exams on hold, are medical and paramedical students immune to coronavirus?” the student said.

On June 24, the student organisation-National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) submitted a written representation to the Vice Chancellor of Gujarat University Jagdish Bhavsar seeking the same. “We would be meeting the GU authorities again on Monday and carry our demand more aggressively,this time,” NSUI state president Mahipalsinh Gadhavi said.

However, the university authorities claimed they are following other states. Rashmikant Dave, Dean Medical faculty at Gujarat University, said, “We are following other states and universities. Being professional course, we work as per MCI (Medical Council of India) guidelines. If exams are not conducted now, the course will get delayed and final year students will be late for for their superspeciality courses.”

When questioned that the state health department has itself written to MCI to conduct postgraduate medical examinations after August 15, the Dave said, “When this was written, the cases were high in the state.”

Declining this, the students stated that if not better the situation has only got worse in the state. On Sunday, 624 new cases of coronavirus were reported from the state of which 198 were from Ahmedabad alone.

The additional secretary, health and family welfare department V G Vanzara wrote to Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, Chairman of the Board of Governors in Supersession of Medical Council of India (MCI) and Member Niti Aayog on May 25 ‘requesting to conduct PG examinations after 15th August,2020 on account of prevailing situation of Covid-19 pandemic’. The written communication was carried following a telephonic conversation with the principal secretary health and family welfare department Jayanti Ravi.