– Dipta Joshi

Maharashtra today postponed undergraduate (MBBS) exams scheduled to commence from April 19 to June. Conducted by the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), the decision also impacts students of Ayurveda, homeopathy and other courses affiliated with the MUHS.  

Announcing the  decision through social media, the state’s medical education minister, Amit Deshmukh tweeted, “The decision was taken after a discussion with the state’s chief minister. A fresh exam schedule will be released by the MUHS.”

This year in view of the unprecedented rise in COIVD-19 cases in the state since February, undergrad medical exams, originally scheduled for February were deferred first to March and then April. However undergraduate medical students approached the MUHS and other state government officials again requesting further postponement as the state continued to report a high number of cases – 58,952 fresh cases reported on April 14.

Meanwhile, in other related news, the Union Government too postponed the online National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-post graduate (PG) exams scheduled for April 18. Announcing the postponement, Union health minister Dr  Harsh Vardhan tweeted, “Decision has been taken keeping the wellbeing of our young medical students in mind.”

Aspiring NEET PG students had taken to social media platforms to air their grievances against the exams being conducted since it entailed them having to travel across states to reach examination centres to write the three-and-half hour online paper.  

“The government has finally taken heed of our requests. However, it’s a sad reflection of the government’s attitude towards us, if we doctors who are the frontline workers dealing with COVID-19 patients need to create so much public pressure to be heard. It is only because the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) cancelled the 10 grade board exams that officials were forced to rethink their decisions regarding our exams. Even today, a group of doctors had to approach the Supreme Court seeking postponement before the government announced the decision,” says a NEET PG aspirant on conditions of anonymity.

Also read: NEET PG 2021: Students demand postponement of exams