The Prime Minister's Officer on Monday announced that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG 2021) has been postponed for at least four months and will not be held before August 31, 2021. Students will be given at least a month to prepare for the exam, they added. The exam was earlier scheduled for April 18.
This is one of the several measures approved by the Prime Minister to ensure the availability of medical personnel to battle the second wave of COVID-19. "NEET-PG postponed for at least four months; this will make large number of qualified doctors available for COVID duties," PMO's official statement said.
"The State/UT Governments are to make all efforts to reach out to each such prospective NEET candidates and request them to join the COVID-19 workforce in this hour of need. The services of these MBBS doctors can be utilized in the management of COVID-19," the PMO added.
"The services of Final Year MBBS students can be utilized for providing services like teleconsultation and monitoring of mild COVID cases after due orientation by and under supervision of faculty," it added.
The PMO added that medical personnel who complete 100 days of COVID duty would be given priority in government recruitment, awarded the Prime Minister's Distinguished COVID National Service Samman, and covered under the government's insurance scheme for health workers fighting COVID.