Delay MDCAT 2020: Pakistani students protest PMC's decision to hold exam on Nov 29

As the Pakistan Medical Council (PMC) announced it would go head and hold the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) exam on November 29, aspiring doctors went up in arms on social media, calling on the body to delay the exams.

Read more: Students voice concerns over PMC decision to hold MDCAT exams

The PMC on Monday maintained that the MDCAT will be held on November 29, as per schedule, under the strict implementation of coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOP)s.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on health, Dr Faisal Sultan, while addressing a press conference yesterday, had said that all entry and professional exams will be held on their respective dates.

Read more: SHC issues notice to PMC over new MDCAT 2020 date

Taking to Twitter, medical students demanded the body to postpone the exams and hold them after November 29:

Saying that "corona is at its peak", one student wanted the exams to be pushed so that his family could not be endangered. 

Another followed suit, saying that students crammed in so many centres will cause the virus to spread. 

Another said that the cold weather will cause certain students to suffer from the common cold, which is more likely to spread COVID-19. Hence, he also called on authorities to suspend exams. 

Fayaz Niazi wondered whether exams were more important than students lives. 

"Now is not the time," said another person. 

Arbab Jahangir called on the government to save "At least 150k families" by delaying the exams. 

Though the government has announced that entrance exams must take place, it has also called for implementation of precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus.