Covid flare-up at Hyderabad medical college: Students hid symptoms to study for exams
30 boarders quarantined as junior doctors' union lobbies to have exams postponed
Hyderabad: Two post-graduate doctors and an MBBS student of Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad have tested positive for Covid-19, and 30 inmates of their hostel have been quarantined. The result of a test conducted on a third student, a PG surgeon, is pending as samples were collected last Sunday.
The PG surgeon who was suffering from fever and cough for five days did not report to the authorities as exams are scheduled for June 20. The student wanted to write the exam and did not want to get isolated or sent to quarantine.
The student was in the hostel room and frequented the hostel canteen leading to spread of the infection, according to sources in the college. The issue came to light when a room-mate, an MBBS student, suffered from fever and was clinically examined and tested. The test was positive leading to the conclusion that the students have been exposed.
According to sources, the heads of departments of Osmania Medical College got into action and started checking on those who suffered from symptoms. It later came to light that two post-graduate students had symptoms but did not declare their condition and were self-medicating as they wanted to write the exams and did not want to be sent to isolation.
A resident doctor said on condition of anonymity, “Why is this unnecessary pressure of exams being created in the time of a pandemic?”
Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) stated that the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences was the only university which has scheduled exams in June, other states had postponed them till August.
Another junior doctor said, “The Medical Council of India has kept June 30 as the last day for the internal exams for post-graduates. For that reason, the university decided to take exams on June 20. The declaration of dates got all of us in exam mode. But it looks difficult as exposure (to coronavirus) is a major concern and exam pressure is building up.”
The TJUDA is meeting with the heads of department to look into the issues of students and whether they must make a joint representation to postpone exams to the university.