Post-grad exams a nightmare for doctors and board

Post-grad exams a nightmare for doctors and board

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com

10.07.2020

Practical exams for thousands of doctors doing Diplomate of National Board (DNB), a post-graduate course, has turned out to be a nightmare for most of them who are on Covid duty, and for the institution conducting the exam, the National Board of Examination (NBE).

With states and even individual cities or districts moving in and out of various levels of lockdown, DNB doctors are under severe stress about making it to exam centres located in cities across India. They are also worried that they might be put under quarantine or might test positive close to exam date or that they might catch the infection while traveling or appearing for the exam to places or hospitals that are Covid hotspots.

The practical exams are for 18 out of 57 specialties and super specialties in which NBE conducts DNB courses. Theory exams were held in December 2019. Practical exams were to be in April but got delayed by the pandemic. NBE executive director Prof Pawanindra Lal told TOI that it was imperative to hold these exams as these specialties were feeder qualifications for the NEET super specialty entrance examination and fellowship entrance test to be held in September.

Many DNB candidates sought a waiver of practical exams altogether. However, senior DNB faculty members point out that for clinical specialties, practical exams to test clinical skills should not be waived. However, they agree that it is insensitive to expect them to travel during Covid. Exams for just 18 specialties, extending from July 14 till August 27 will involve almost 4,000 DNB candidates having to travel to exam centres across India.

Dr Lal said, “We are trying to ensure minimum travel for students and are in touch with every student who got a centre outside their own state because we understand the challenges of interstate travel. For instance, when Kolkata announced a shut down, we had to create a new centre in Guwahati for just two candidates from there and another from Manipur,” explained Dr Lal. However, candidates insist that a majority have not got a centre even within the zone they chose, leave alone the state. A candidate from Punjab has got a centre in Bangalore and another from Maharashtra got a centre in Karnataka. With Karnataka’s policy of 14-day quarantine for those from Maharashtra, the candidate is worried.