Final-year MBBS exams: Students from Maharashtra fear offline tests amid rise in Covid-19 cases

After much delay, the offline exams for final-year MBBS students are set to begin from March 8. However, the rising Covid-19 cases across Maharashtra have left the students in a fix as many are worried about the risks of appearing for physical exams in the current scenario.

“Exams are just eight days away and after conducting lectures and practicals the entire year online, it is unfair that our exams are being conducted in offline mode, especially when the state is recording more than 8,000 Covid-19 cases each day,” said a final-year student, adding that aspirants and parents are equally worried about the health and safety of staff and students.

A group of students on Monday also approached minister of medical education Amit Deshmukh and cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray, seeking their help over the issue.

“For the past one year, we [final-year students] have been at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 and have not cared for our own health while ensuring the safety of others. We now request the state government to consider our health and safety and push for our final-year exams to be conducted in online mode,” stated the letter signed by several students from KEM, Sion, Cooper hospitals and Grant Medical College.

“Our exams last for a full month and with thousands of students slated to appear for them from March 8, we are worried about the risk the students and teachers will be under during offline exams,” said some students, who have also shared their concern on several social media platforms.

While the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) had previously released circulars postponing all final-year medical and dental exams from January to February and then to March, there has been no update from MUHS in the past one week.

“Without any intimation from the state, we can’t decide to postpone the exams any further. We’ll stick to the schedule, and if there are any updates, they will be intimated to the students,” said an official from MUHS.