Mumbai, Sep 17 (IANS): As the Covid-19 situation remains critical, the Maharashtra government has decided to draft 2,852 medical students right from their campuses to work in hospitals across the state, Medical Education Minister Amit V. Deshmukh said here on Thursday.

The government has sanctioned the appointment of 1,204 specialised final year medical students, while the other 1,648 students who have appeared for their final year exams and post-graduate medical courses have been pressed into government service.

"The urgent requirement of specialist medical staff to man ICUs in Covid-19 dedicated hospitals in the state has prompted the premature recruitment of students from medical colleges affiliated to Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DMER)," Deshmukh said.

The normal procedure is after the results are declared by various universities, the DMER contracts the successful candidates from government or municipal medical colleges, but this has been bypassed in view of the Covid urgency this year.

Deshmukh said that the placements would be based on the institutes the students hail from, the criterion of their subjects in the final year, but in case of surplus candidates from some subjects, they would not be recruited.

"Those who have passed the special treatment and post-graduate courses will be appointed for the Bond Service as per demands from district collectors concerned or Covid hospitals to seamlessly infuse them into the state-run healthcare system," Deshmukh explained.

In March 2020, a total of 1,648 aspirants appeared for the intensive care medical and post-graduate course exams under the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.

Of the available 1,204 bonded students, 444 would be contracted as Senior Residents and Medical Officers, 385 as Assistant Professors in government medical colleges, 178 as Assistant Professors in BMC Medical Colleges, 282 as Specialist Officers in civic hospitals and the rest 359 in Covid healthcare hospitals.

Considering the grim Covid situation, the government on Monday asked the DMER to waive off the above procedure till March 31, 2021 and these students will be employed at all government, municipal medical colleges and affiliated hospitals, and will be paid salaries/honorarium and accommodation as per the rules of the establishment concerned, the minister added.