Mumbai: Medical students and organisations across Maharashtra have requested the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) to cancel the undergraduate final-year exams. The MUHS had conducted final-year dental and postgraduate exams earlier this month.
About 9,500 students are due to appear for the undergraduate exams, scheduled from September 8 at 245 centres in the state. Last year, there were only 125 exam centres.
Nearly 5,000 PG students appeared for final-year exams between August 17 and 25. MUHS has 393 affiliated colleges in Maharashtra.
The Medical Students Welfare Association and Maharashtra Students Union have written to the MUHS highlighting their problems, the Indian Express has reported.
Given that hospitals have been turned into isolation centres and COVID cure centres, appearing for exams from such premises poses a grave risk to one’s health, it has been observed.
Moreover, students from rural areas would face problems in finding accommodation near the exam centre.
“Maharashtra has emphatically said that it is not possible to conduct the exams owing to the situation arising out of COVID-19. The situation is far from resolved. There are many cases and cases are still growing. There are several containment zones in the state and public transport is very limited,” wrote the Maharashtra Students Union.
MUHS Controller of Exams Ajit Pathak defended the decision to conduct the xams.
“We have got a go-ahead from the state as well as the High Court. We have had nearly 95 per cent attendance in our PG exams and are positive about conducting UG exams so that our students can proceed towards completing their internships, where they can work as COVID warriors. While a section of students is protesting, we have also been requested by majority students to conduct exams and support their careers.”
Pathak added that students will be eligible for national level PG exams Only after declaration of final-year UG results.
Besides doubling number of exam centres, MUHS has also vowed to maintain safety precautions such as providing sanitizers, sanitization of exam centres and disposable masks.
Those hospitalized because of COVID can avail compensation of up to Rs 1 lakh whereas any death due to COVID will be compensated with Rs 3 lakh.