Gujarat Health Department orders 750 Final-year MBBS medicos to join COVID-19 duty

The Health Department, in a letter, addressed to GMERS medical colleges in Sola and Gandhinagar, GCS medical college Amdupura and AMC-MET medical college, Khokhra, has asked the 750 medical students who recently appeared for their final year MBBS exams to join Covid-duties on an emergency basis.

Medical Dialogues had recently reported that Gujarat Government has recently made Covid-19 duty mandatory for all MBBS and Para-medical students including nursing, dental, physiotherapy, and AYUSH in wake of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state.

Following a thorough consultation with the senior officials of the Health Department as well as the Faculty Deans of all the Universities in the state, the Core Committee has decided to make the Covid-19 duty compulsory for all MBBS students whose theory examinations have been finished but practical examinations were still pending.

Also Read: Gujarat Govt mandates Covid-19 duty for all MBBS, paramedical students

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, a total of 3,000 second-year and third-year MBBS students, who along with paramedical staff, have been deployed on Covid duties across the city. The recent Government order addressed to individual deans of the medical colleges, has been for the 750 final year students who would be deployed for the ward duties, Sanjeevani Rath-fever helpline, home isolation duties, and even mass testing dome duties.

TOI adds that the Government has given the responsibilities related to the doctors' stay, food, and living arrangements to the NHL medical college. While commenting on the matter, the Dean of NHL Medical College told the daily, "The students will be deployed for various Covid duties. We have just received the letter from the state health department. We will be deploying the students for Sanjeevani Rath and Vadil Sewa. A similar move was undertaken after Diwali."

Times of India in another recent media report mentioned that agreeing on the necessity of a task force of medical and paramedical students to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, the Gujarat Health Department issued a circular to make necessary preparations regarding the matter. The circular asked the colleges to deploy students of government-run medical and paramedical colleges as well as medical colleges associated with Gujarat Medical Education Research (GMERS) for Covid-19 duty. It further directed the colleges to appoint a nodal officer to communicate with the health department.

However, "The notification does not include medical and paramedical students in their first year of undergraduate courses as they have just joined medical studies," said sources aware of the matter.

Also Read: Gujarat deploys 2nd, 3rd, final year MBBS students for Compulsory COVID duty