Doctors urge HC to postpone exams
THE PETITIONERS noted that since college hostels had been closed many days ago, students are at home and have to travel to their exam centres every alternate day.
Post-graduate doctors in the state have filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Telangana High Court, seeking the postponement of the postgraduate examinations scheduled later this month and that they be allowed to continue as senior residents. The Healthcare Reforms Doctors’ Association (HRDA) has asked for the notification issued by the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of health Sciences (KNRUHS) on May 28, declaring the schedule for medical and dental PG exams from June 20 to 29, to be declared arbitrary and in violation of Article 21 of the Constitution.
The HRDA noted that in both Gandhi Hospital and Osmania Medical College, there were several examgoing students who had tested positive for Covid19, or were exposed to someone who was infected.
They have all been sent into home quarantine for several days.
The petitioners said that it was not known how many more asymptomatic carriers of the disease are out among the public.
“In this precarious situation, exposing doctors, exam-going PG students, invigilators and support staff during examinations held from June 20 on four alternate days can result in spreading the virus to not only the aforesaid persons but their families, friends, and others,” they said.
They also noted that since college hostels had been closed many days ago, students are at home and have to travel to their exam centres every alternate day. Among them, there were several pregnant women and those who had co-morbidities. They added that the number of cases of Covid-19 were rising in the GHMC area and Ranga Reddy district. Hence it was too dangerous to conduct examinations there.
While demanding the postponement of the exams, the petition asks for the respondents, the special chief secretary, health and KNRUHS university, to utilise the doctors’ services as senior residents until the exams are conducted.