Centre to reserve MBBS seats for children of COVID warriors killed by virus

NEW DELHI: Five seats for MBBS and BDS will be reserved in every medical college for children of COVID-19 healthcare workers who lost their lives due to the virus, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan announced on Thursday. A new category called ‘wards of Covid warriors’ for the academic year 2020-21 shall also be introduced.

ALSO READ: Parimal Suklabaidya: Truckers hesitant to enter Mizoram fearing “harassment” in name of COVID test

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan informed about the development and mentioned the seats may be allocated for selection and nomination of candidates from among wards of "Covid warriors", who lost their lives due to Covid or died accidentally on account of Covid-related duty.

"This will honour the solemn sacrifice of all Covid warriors who served with selfless dedication," Vardhan stated, adding that the state or UT government will certify eligibility for this category.

ALSO READ: “Are the AASU leaders still students?”: Himanta Biswa Sarma mocks student leaders over age

In a statement, the ministry said, “The selection of candidates will be made by the Medical Council Committee (MCC) through online application on the basis of rank obtained in the NEET-2020 conducted by National Testing Agency.”

"Private hospital staff and retired/volunteer/ local urban bodies/ contracted/ daily wage/ ad-hoc/ outsourced staff requisitioned by states/central hospitals/ autonomous hospitals of central/ states/UTs, AIIMS and Institutes of National Importance (INIs)/ hospitals of central ministries drafted for COVID-19-related responsibilities are all included," Vardhan said.

India's total number of confirmed coronavirus cases crossed 9-million-mark on November 19, 2020.

The national recovery rate has improved to 93.58 % with 83,83,602 recovered cases which exceeded active cases by 79,40,299, the Health Ministry said.

To support our brand of fearless and investigative journalism, support us HERE.

Download:                                                                  

The Inside Northeast app HERE for News, Views, and Reviews from Northeast India.

Do keep following us for news on-the-go. We deliver the Northeast.