AIIMS gears up for PG entrance test, candidates say it should be postponed

Many candidates are of the view that the examination should not be conducted at this time.

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“The institute is refusing to push the beginning of the academic year back from July 1 even as everything around the world has been adjusted around the situation. Other major competitive exams have all been pushed after July. I am currently on duty at a government hospital in Gurugram. It will be unethical for me to appear in the exam, both as a potential source of spread, and also because I might pick it up at the centre and spread it to my patients,” said Dr Rachit Singhania.

“Many of the doctors who will be writing the exam are on duty. This is just not the right time. We are not asking that they postpone it indefinitely…they could even consider making all doctors go for a 14-day quarantine before the examination,” said a doctor in Patna.

AIIMS registrar Dr Sanjeev Lalwani said postponing the examination is not feasible.

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“Postpone it to what extent? We do not see an end to the situation anytime soon. We have taken all precautions in terms of disinfection, sanitisation and social distance. We have increased the number of centres from 4-5 to 150. We have also written to all state governments to coordinate and cooperate. We were just waiting for transport to open up… If it goes on getting postponed, what will happen to the patients? The third years will have completed their time with us and left,” he said.

On Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on candidates being allotted centres in different states.

“Many candidates from Kerala who had opted Thiruvananthapuram as centre have got centres in the State of Tamil Nadu. In view of the pandemic, which is still persisting, it is not advisable to compel candidates to travel inter-state to write the entrance examination. Kindly bestow your personal attention so that centres of their choices are allowed in the current situation,” he wrote.