The Odisha government has announced the reopening of medical colleges in the state from December 1, after months of lockdown, implementing a non-negotiable examination calendar to ensure uniformity in conducting examinations. All the educational institutions were closed following the COVID-19 outbreak in mid-March. The closure led to a delay in the commencement of the academic session for fresh MBBS students by almost four months and also a disruption of clinical training of final year students.
After the recommendation of the National Medical Commission (NMC), this decision was taken at a review meeting where the Additional Chief Secretary of Health department, PK Mohapatra directed college authorities to begin classes with strict adherence to the COVID-19 guidelines and SOPs like social distancing.
Besides suggesting the reopening date, the commission also advised on delaying the academic session for 2020-21 and starting from February 1 next year. The PG-NEET examination is expected to be scheduled around March-April 2021, so that the academic session can begin from July 1.
The Health and Family Welfare Department will be preparing the non-negotiable examination calendar following the guidelines issued by NMC, which will be notified by the Higher Education department.