CM Uddhav writes to PM Modi, wants doctors' PG exam delayed

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray

In view of the dire need for medical professionals in COVID-19 hospitals, the state government does not want the resident doctors to write their final year PG examination next month. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to postpone the exam to December 2020, saying that the residents' absence would lead to a serious shortage of trained doctors.

"The final year (senior resident-3) doctors, who are required to take the examination, are currently working in all government and municipal medical colleges assisting in the clinical management of COVID-19 patients. If this examination is held as per schedule, there will be a serious shortage of trained doctors," the CM said. The CMO's Twitter handle posted the letter late Wednesday night, strangely a week after it was written and sent to the PMO. The CM also wants the entrance examinations for super speciality courses - DM/MCh - postponed. The final year MD (Doctor of Medicine) and MS (Master of Surgery) students have been put into service in government and civic hospitals. A final year MD/MS student, also known as Resident-3, is considered to be a backbone of public hospitals because she/he not only manages patients but also leads a team of junior residents and fresh graduates. In view of the pandemic, the residents of non-clinical courses have also been involved in COVID-19 management.

Considering the crisis that might arise if the residents were absent from next month, Thackeray requested PM Modi to direct the Medical Council of India (MCI) to postpone the exam organised by Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), Nashik. Earlier, MUHS had postponed the PG exam and later rescheduled it as per the MCI guidelines.

The state government has decided to give final year students of non-medical professional courses the option of taking or skipping exams and urged their national governing body to approve the proposal. "I would request your intervention to direct the Medical Council of India to postpone the MD/MS examination till December 2020. I would also request for the postponement of the entrance examinations of super-speciality (DM/MCh) to a date subsequent to December 2020 i.e after the conclusion of the final year MD/MS exams," Thackeray said.

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