NSUI writes to UPHRC over medical students treating Covid patients

Lucknow, July 13 (IANS): The National Students Union of India (NSUI) has written to the Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission seeking its intervention over private medical colleges that are reportedly forcing medical students to treat coronavirus patients without being adequately trained.

The letter has been sent by Anushesh Sharma, general secretary of NSUI. Talking to IANS, he said that he had received representations from various medical students who were being forced to remain in Covid wards.

“Many final year students of MBBS are put in place of regular doctors to treat Covid-19 patients. Critical cases in Covid hospitals require intensive care from specialists who are trained to handle such contagious situations. But young medical students should not be put at risk since they are not adequately trained for providing critical care,” Sharma said.

He further said that several medical professionals have said that operation of ventilators requires specialised skills which are not provided to medical students.

“Without proper training, these hospitals are putting the lives of patients also at risk,” he said.

The NSUI leader further stated in his letter that the postponement of examinations in view of the pandemic and online classes was posing a major problem for medical students.

“Since lectures form a small part of medical curriculum which primarily depends upon practical and clinical education, the students are finding themselves in a piquant situation,” he added.

He pointed out that many post-graduate students are involved in Covid duty along with their regular hospital duties. He said that submission deadline for such students should be shifted to another date.

Medical students have claimed, according to the NSUI letter, that they are forced to undergo Blood Rapid Kit Test (instead of Antigen Swab test) which is often known to give false results.

The students are demanding same testing parameters for them, as provided to patients, so that transmission among the medical staff could be restricted.

Sharma said that he had written to the state human rights commission because the matter concerned “violation of human rights”.