Maharashtra: Final-year PG medical, dental students await exam schedule

Days after the state government and the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) released exam commencement dates for undergraduate and postgraduate medical, dental and diploma exams, final-year postgraduate medical students are still waiting to hear about their exam schedule.

Originally scheduled to take place in May, the exam was postponed by a month by the National Medical Commission (NMC) to ensure that all students are working across hospitals as the country was facing the peak of the second wave of Covid-19. As of May 25, these students still do not know when their exams will take place.

“We have sent repeated requests and reminders to MUHS as well as authorities at the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), but to no avail. The Central government extended our residency by one month till May 31; so post that, we should be appearing for exams but the authorities have no clarity,” said Dr Pranav Jadhav, vice-president (central), Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD).

In April, the Central government’s decision to extend final-year postgraduate medical and dental exam by a month and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for postgraduate courses by four months did not go down well with stakeholders, especially the students. To make matters worse, the state released a circular postponing the exams, but so far has not given any clarity on the future date of exams, something several other states including Rajashthan and Delhi have already released.

“Most of us (students) are working every day at hospitals across the state and have had no time to prepare for exams. MARD has also requested that the government give us at least 45 days before starting exams, to give us ample time to prepare, but with no date in sight, we are unsure when the exam will finally be held,” said Dr Prajakta Mhatre, another final-year postgraduate medical student.

While exams for undergraduate medical and dental students as well as non-final year postgraduate students are scheduled to take place between June 10 and 30, final-year students still await answers from the authorities.

“We cannot announce exam dates until we get a go ahead from the state government. Once that comes through, we will confirm the schedule and also ensure that students get ample time for exam preparation,” said a senior exam authority from MUHS, on condition of anonymity.