This tumult began after the Board of Medicine of the Professional Regulation Commission (BOM-PRC) persisted that the coming PLE shall continue as scheduled regardless of the rising COVID-19 cases. THE BOM-PRC cited the Department of Health’s (DOH) need for more licensed doctors to continuously battle the pandemic.
PMSA and NUSP were perturbed. “We are in a continuously worsening COVID-19 situation and we cannot discount the fact that the lives of our PLE takers will be at stake should the 4-day face-to-face PLE push through. As predicted with data available now, cases will be much higher during the exam dates. The response of BOM fails to consider the grave situation we are in,”
“We also put great emphasis on the need to make an early announcement on the postponement or the specific guidelines should they decide to push through with the examination. The PLE takers have already been financially and economically burdened to comply with various requirements such as RT-PCR swab tests or 14-day quarantine, and have allotted precious resources for accommodation and other logistical requisites despite no clear instructions and the threat of a sudden cancellation,” Brillantes added.
The PMSA conducted an online rally, #PostponeSeptPLE, last August 24with more than 1,000 students, doctors, and 35 groups in support of postponing exams. Apart from endangering the exam takers’ health, PMSA also raised the possible financial and logistical burden that the exams would bear on future physicians.
“Examinees are required to submit a certificate of quarantine or a negative RT-PCR swab test while others will be traveling from distant places to examination sites,” PMSA explained.
Last August 30, the Philippines reported a new record of 22,366 new COVID-19 cases—the biggest one-day jump of cases since the pandemic began. This hike is projected to further rise in the following days; the Philippines is likely to breach 2 million total cases this week.
Featured image courtesy of The Star / Miguel de Guzman.
