Medical interns, whose one-year Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) comes to an end on March 28, will now have to work for another month in the wake of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) has instructed deans of all medical colleges to extend the internship by one month for all CRRIs.
In a circular issued on Tuesday, the DME has instructed all deans to give an extension of one month for all CRRIs completing their posting this month, and also arrange for immediate posting of the new batch of CRRIs. The existing batch comprises nearly 3,000 interns.
An official said the interns were doctors entering the service, and it was important for them to continue to be in service at a crucial time like this. “This is an epidemic. So, they will continue to be in service. They will help the doctors and be involved in patient care services. We will provide all protective equipment for them,” he said.
The new batch of interns, also known as house surgeons, have been asked to join on March 26. “The existing batch has been trained for a year. But the new students will need training. We will train them in the meantime and get them ready,” he added.
However, this has raised many doubts among the CRRIs. CRRIs of the Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association said as of now, there is no clarity on what basis the internship period is being extended. “We understand this is for COVID-19 management. As per our bond, CRRI is for 365 days. With this extension, we do not know if we will be junior residents, what our salary will be, and our accommodation,” an intern in one of the government medical college hospitals said.
In one district, a women’s hostel was being vacated for being converted into a quarantine facility, and the students were moved to other hostels. “This is leading to overcrowding. What will happen if three or four students are put in a single room. This will increase the risk of infection,” a CRRI said.
