NMC breather to displaced MBBS students, allows Manipur University to conduct exams

Churachandpur: After thirty-three MBBS students from Churachandpur Medical College (CMC) took to the streets protesting against debarment from first-year examinations, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has granted respite by authorizing Manipur University to conduct exams for these students anywhere within the state.

The group of students, consisting of 27 individuals displaced by ethnic riots and six non-displaced students, rallied against what they deemed an unjust exclusion from the crucial examinations.

In their memorandum addressed to the Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey and submitted through the Churachandpur Additional Deputy Commissioner Thangboi Gangte, the 27 displaced tribal MBBS students said that they filled up their examination forms and deposited their due examination fees and maintained other formalities in due course of time. They said they were informed that their admit cards and other examination materials were sent only to six MBBS students and the rest of the displaced students were excluded, reports IANS.

The students felt hurt because their fellow displaced students from Churachandpur Medical College were allowed to continue their studies at JNIMS centre uninterrupted but no such arrangement were made. The students urged the Governor to intervene in the matter so that they could sit in the phase-1 MBBS examination.

Finally following the protest of the displaced medicos, NMC has given its consent to retake the exam for the students. The president of the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) at NMC, Aruna V Vanikar, communicated this positive decision in a letter addressed to Prof H Priyoshakhi Devi, the dean of the School of Medical Sciences at Manipur University.

The response, received on Friday, addressed a query raised by the university regarding the feasibility of conducting MBBS examinations for displaced students in locations other than their parent college. "University examinations may be conducted anywhere in the state of Manipur, physically for all the students after mutual consensus of university, college authorities and the state authorities,” he added. Manipur's Health Minister, Sapam Ranjan Singh, recently stated that the government is actively considering the option of organizing "special exams" for these students, aiming to address their unique circumstances, reports Times of India. 

While addressing the issue of applying relaxation in eligibility criteria in terms of attendance and internal assessment to write the regular university examination (for Phase I, Phase II, Phase III Part 1 and Phase III Part 2) for these displaced students, the NMC replied to MU, “Eligibility criteria in terms of attendance and internal assessment cannot be relaxed. Medical education deals with human life which is precious. Hence, unless complete all-round training and internal assessment of a candidate is done and if the candidate is found to be eligible to take up the final examination then only he/she should be allowed to appear in the annual examination.”

Since CMC is a new medical college and lacks the resources and faculty needed for senior MBBS students, many Kuki-Zo students have been requesting transfers to medical schools outside of Manipur. However, NMC denied this request. “For the law-and-order situation, the university may take appropriate advice and protection measures from the concerned authorities of the state since it is beyond the purview of the NMC,” the letter added.