COVID-duty now part of compulsory internship for MBBS students: NMC

Coronavirus: The decision is part of measures to increase manpower to battle the pandemic. Another is to postpone NEET PG 2021.

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced that the duties performed by medical interns for COVID-19 management will be treated as a compulsory internship. The decision follows the announcements made by the prime minister Narendra Modi’s office on addressing the shortage of human resources in the fight against COVID-19. Another significant decision to emerge from the same meeting was the postponement of postgraduate medical entrance exams, NEET PG 2021, by another four months.

As per a notification issued by the NMC, the duties performed by interns during their posting in departments for COVID-19 management are to be treated as the duty in those departments for the purpose of compulsory rotating internship.

On Monday evening, a statement was issued by the prime minister’s office (PMO) which announced the deployment of medical interns in COVID management duties.

MBBS interns; NEET PG 2021 applicants

The interns will be involved in different departments for different durations. They will spend two months in general medicine (including psychiatry); 15 days in casualty or emergency; and two months in community medicine. The NMC notification says: “Considering the unprecedented situation due to COVID-19 pandemic where an augmentation of medical manpower is immediately required, COVID-19 management will be treated as the duty in those departments for the purpose of compulsory rotating internship.”

The PMO also announced that final-year MBBS students can be roped in for teleconsultation and monitoring of mild COVID cases as well as engaging BSc. and GNM qualified nurses in full-time COVID nursing duties.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-PG exam has also been postponed for at least four months.

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