The Central Government on Thursday postponed the NEET-PG medical entrance exam that doctors take for admission to postgraduate courses like MD and MS due to the fresh wave of Covid-19 cases surging across India.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination was earlier scheduled to be held on April 18.

Announcing the decision Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said the next date of the NEET-PG medical entrance exams will be decided later, He said “the decision had been taken keeping in mind the wellbeing of  our young medical students.”

Earlier today, a group of student doctors moved the Supreme Court asking for postponement of the NEET-PG medical entrance exams. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde was scheduled to hear the matter on Friday.

The petitioners reportedly said that forcing doctors, who treat coronavirus patients on a daily basis, to attend a physical exam would put thousands of lives at risk.