Postpone exam: 2020 batch PG Medical Students request KNRUHS, blame COVID pandemic for disruption of studies

Hyderabad: The postgraduate medical students in Telangana who belong to 2020 batch have requested the authorities to postpone the PG medical exams for a period of 15-30 days.

Writing to the Vice-Chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), the students have blamed the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for disrupting their studies and resulting in academic loss.

Further, the students have also pointed out that the 3 years tenure of PG medical students of 2020 batch will be completed by July/August. Therefore, around 1-2 months of study period would remain for most of the students if the exams are held as per the schedule. That concerned period could be used for academics and for providing the students with clinical exposure, the students opined.

As per the schedule, it has been decided that the PG students of 2020 batch will appear in the MD/MS PG degree/diploma exams in the month of June, 2023.

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Seeking postponement of the exam by 15-30 days, the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) recently wrote to KNRUHS VC on May 2, 2023 and mentioned in the letter, "2020 batch will be completing our 3 years of PG by July/August 2023 which would imply that about 1-2 months of study period would be remaining for majority of the students if the exams are held in June, which could be effectively utilized for the academics and clinical exposure."

Pointing out how the pandemic affected the academic activity of the students, the letter stated, "The PG curriculum of 2020 batch was hugely disrupted due to COVID-19 pandemic and the PGs worked tirelessly during the pandemic resulting in academic loss."

The association also pointed out that the students of 2020 batch "worked for approximately 2 years with only 2 batches managing regular as well as COVID duties."

Apart from this, the students also clarified that postponing the exam would not effect the eligibility of the students for appearing in the NEET-SS examination. "The NEET-SS exam would be conducted in the month of September therefore postponing the exams for a period 15-30 days would not effect the eligibility," the letter stated.

"We therefore request you to consider these points and kindly postpone the exams for at least a period of 15-30 days," it added.

While commenting on the matter, Dr Karthik, a final-year postgraduate student from the 2020 batch told Medical Dialogues, "In our letter submitted to the VC, we have referred to the reasons for which the exam should be postponed. Moreover, our academic year started in July for the majority of Postgraduates of our batch. However, the authorities are not ready to listen to us. We are sending thousands of e-mails daily, but the University officials are not even ready to listen or talk to us. Postponement of the exam by 15-20 days is very much necessary for the PG medical students belonging to all the governmental and private medical colleges across the State."

Further pointing out that most of other States have scheduled exams in June end or mid-July, he added, "15-30 days of time matter a lot to us. We will be able to study in confidence."

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