DYFI urges Puducherry govt to pay final-year MBBS students on Covid duty

Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) - the CPI(M)'s youth wing - has urged the Puducherry government to provide monthly remuneration to the final-year MBBS students, who are engaged in Covid-related works.
The DYFI in a statement on Tuesday said that there are around 100 final-year medical students of government and private medical colleges, who are working in 33 Triage centres of the Union Territory.

DYFI state president A. Anand and Secretary P. Saravanan said that when the second Covid wave hit the territory, final year MBBS students were deployed to serve the Covid-19 patients.

The students, according to the DYFI were involved in visiting Covid-19 patients who were in home isolation and had treated around 13,000 patients.

The organization in the statement said that of these patients, 20 per cent were under treatment for comorbidities and had to be admitted to hospitals or Covid care centres.

The DYFI leaders said that the students had to shell out from their own pockets to buy PPE kits, oxymeters and other necessary equipment for the Covid treatment.

The CPI(M) youth wing has urged the government to provide medical insurance of Rs 50 lakh and basic equipment like pulse oximeter, gloves, N95 masks and PPE kits, to the final-year MBBS students. - IANS