COVID 2.O I COVER STORY

tained to ensure their quick deployment across the country as per need.

Dr Shetty suggests that the 25,000 MBBS students, who are about to finish training in medical or surgical specialties, be exempted from their final exams if they agree to work in Covid ICUs for a year. Then, a few thousand medical personnel hold diplomas in critical specialties, such as intensive care cardiology and emergency medicine, which aren’t recognised by the Medical Council of India. Giving recognition to these diplomas would add thousands of professionals to the Covid workforce, he says. Only about 35,000 of the over 130,000 doctors preparing for PG entrances will be admitted in clinical subjects. Those who fail could be offered grace marks in the exams next year provided they work in a Covid ICU now.

Dr Shetty and the National Working Group on Covid, a consortium of top doctors in the country, suggest that foreign medical graduates be allowed to work in Covid ICUs for a year and, in return, directly enrolled under the state medical councils. Nurses and paramedics who opt to work in Covid ICUs should be given grace marks while applying for PG courses as well as preference in government jobs. Nitin Pai, director of the Bengalurubased Takshashila Institution, a public policy research centre, calls for creation of ‘chartered nurses’, who can perform routine functions of general physicians and lighten their load.

On May 2, in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre decided to act on several suggestions given by experts. While the PG entrance has been postponed by at least four months, medical interns will be put on Covid duty under the supervision of their faculty. Final-year MBBS students will help with teleconsultation and handling mild Covid cases. Medical staff completing 100 days of Covid duty will get priority in government recruitments and honoured with the PM’s Distinguished Covid National Service Samman.