NEW DELHI: Over 5,000 medical interns from Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh - who were pressed into emergency COVID duties - will miss the NEET PG 2022 exam.
Despite the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences on Wednesday extending the cut-off date for completion of an internship for the NEET-PG 2022 exam to July 31, these interns will not be eligible for the test as their internship will not be over by then.
"Over 5,000 interns will not be eligible to take the NEET PG 2022 exam. In the history of India, there never was a zero year for medical students," said Dr. Karan Juneja, national secretary of the IMA - Junior Doctors' Network.
Vishnu Gopan, convenor, IMA-Medical Students Network, Kerala, said over 3,500 interns in Kerala were working day and night battling COVID.
"For the 2016 MBBS batch, it is a matter of concern that we will miss our first PG attempt," he said, adding that there are 25 medical colleges under Kerala University of Health Services.
While welcoming the decision to extend the internship eligibility, Gujarat Intern Doctors' Association president Dr Meet Ghonia said the 5,000 interns will be unable to sit for the test for no fault of theirs.
"The only reason they will not be eligible is that the government used them as workforce during the pandemic, and because of that, their internship started late. Now they aren't eligible. We request the government to take necessary steps," he said.
Dr Juneja said if these interns cannot take their exams, they will be deprived of specialisation by a year. "Junior doctors are the backbone. The problem will be felt more in these states. In the long run, it will not only heavily impact our healthcare system, but people will also suffer," he said.