On Wednesday, the association of MD Physicians had urged the Delhi High Court to issue an applicable direction to postpone the 18th June Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE) Screening Test, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Association of MD Physicians has filed the pleavia advocates Chaitanya Sundriyal and Adit S Pujari. On Wednesday, the plea was heard partially by a single -judge bench of Justice Amit Bansal, who listed it for further hearing on Friday.

Association of MD Physicians associates includes Foreign Medical Graduates who completed their primary medical courses from premier medical education institutions throughout the world i.e., outside India.

In agreement with the Indian Medical Council Act and Screening Test Regulations 2002, individuals holding medical qualifications that are awarded by a foreign institution are required to qualify the FMGE Screening Test to receive recognition for their medical qualifications and to get registered to the State medical Councils for practicing medicine in India.

The petitioner told the Court that the members of the association and other qualified foreign medical graduates are forced to appear for the FMGE Screening Test on 18th June, putting themselves and people around them at risk of contracting COVID-19 infection.

Doctor Rajesh Rajan, who is the President of the Association of MD Physicians, said on behalf of FMG members who are hurt, had approached Prof Pawanindra Lal, who is an Executive Director of NBE, requesting the National Board of Examinations (NBE) to postpone FMGE June 2021. No response has yet been received by the petitioner.

The association said thatin the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is not safe nor feasible for a large number of candidates to appear for the FMG Examination that is going to be conducted in June 2021.

It is explained that member of the petitioner association, such as other FMGs are willing to be part of the COVID-19 workforce, and have also filed a Petition before the Supreme Court of India, which has mentioned that even 3rd and 4th year MBBS students to be made part of this work-force.

The Petitioners stated that being part of such a work-force is entirely different from sitting for the FMGE, requiring displacement from their homes, movement and travel, RT-PCR testing, and residing in a city that they would not call home.

On behalf of its members, the Petitioner Association, who are directed to travel to other cities for giving the exam that is proposed to be conducted on 18th June, they have waited for the Respondent NBE, and had hoped that the Respondents would recognize the effect on thousands of students and their families, and so should postpone the examination.

A large number of competitive examinations, such as qualifying examinations have either been postponed or cancelled altogether.

The Centre has opposed the petition stating that those who cannot appear in June for the exam can appear in December. The Court has sought to know from the petitioner association the purpose authorising it to file the present plea and had asked the Centre to bring on record any document that they have taken measures related to the present COVID-19 crisis for conducting the exams in mid-June.

Source: Hindustan Times