CHENNAI: The postgraduate students who were on COVID-19 duty in government hospitals will also be eligible for the incentive marks for selection to the post of assistant surgeons, held the Madras High Court on Thursday.

Upholding a GO dated August 17, 2023, granting incentive marks to health professionals who performed COVID-related duty in regular government appointments, the first bench comprising Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy said the petitioners and other similarly situated applicants who performed COVID–19 duty should also be considered as “Medical Officers” for granting incentive marks.

The services rendered by the PG students was part of their 36-month training period, which was supposed to be the practical training towards the subject that they study. Because of the abnormal situation arising out of the pandemic, they were also roped in for COVID-19 duty in related wards in the government hospitals.

It was not in dispute that they put in the same kind of duty and underwent the same rigors as that of the other medical officers recruited by the State government. As a matter of fact, the persons recruited by the Government for pandemic duty were categorised as “Medical Officers”, the bench added.