PG medical students want exams postponed

Nischith N. | NT

The post-graduate medical students of Rajiv Gandhi University Health Sciences (RGUHS) have called for postponement of the final year examinations. They feel they are ill-prepared as most of them have still not been taken off Covid duty and failed to submit their thesis.

“This is a very difficult time for PG students as most of them are not ready for the exams. Once the college starts they plan on doing the whole year’s internal assessment. Also, final year students, in general, need one month to complete revision itself. How do we study in such a short period?” asked Dr Priya, a final year medical student from Hubbali.

She further added, “Also every year according to the government, a minimum of six months is needed to attend final year exams from the date of submitting the thesis. Thesis submission was on January 30 and exam is on May 7, most of them have not submitted the thesis. If this step is fast-tracked, what kind of doctors will we be by the time we graduate?”

According to the reports, Karnataka has 13 plus government and 15 private medical colleges with a strength of 2,000 plus students. It was recently declared in a circular by RGUHS that the exams would commence from May 7. This has left students worried as they have been given a short period to study.

No surgery experience

As RGUHS announced an exam most of the medical students are complaining that there is no proper practical experience that is particularly vital in a field like medicine, where human lives are involved as most of the colleges have turned into Covid treatment wards and doctors are into Covid duty.

“First they have to give six months for thesis submission and our main problem is that we have not treated even a single patient and none of our practical classes have been completed. So without attending classes and not experiencing the surgery, how do we write exams? Also, online classes have not been effective,” said Prasanth, a PG student.

Reacting on this, RGUHS VC Dr M.K. Ramesh commented, “Only 5 to 10 per cent of the PG students are opposing the announced date. So remaining students have agreed, so there are no changes,” Ramesh said.