Medical students demand continuity of internship during teachers’ strike

Students in the 5th and 6th year of the Medicine course at the Federal University of Roraima demonstrated for the continuity of the academic calendar during the public act of the UFRR Teachers’ Union Section (Sesduf-RR) for the strike at the institution. The movement took place on the afternoon of this Thursday (8), in the university’s Parlatório.

The students are partially opposed to the strike movement, due to the support of teachers from the medical internship. The action caused the suspension of the academic calendar, especially the last two years of the course, which deals with internships in hospitals and medical residency. A 6th year student, who did not want to be identified, reported that the suspension delays his training.

“We are not against the teachers’ strike, because they are within their rights and need to have this increase. The college deserves better conditions. The problem is how this is being done and how it is impacting the lives, not just of medical students, but of all students on UFRR’s 42 courses. How many students here have been graduating for two months and are now facing this break that you don’t know if it will last a week, two months, four months? [A greve] it should be done in a better way, at least preserving students, from all courses, from the last two years to graduate”, suggested the student.

Assistance in hospitals

Medical students still argue that the suspension of the internship, considered an internship, will eliminate the need for hospitals in the capital. This is because the strike affects training in medical clinics, collective health in UBSs, gynecology and obstetrics, and surgical clinics. Only the pediatric internship is maintained.

“Was the Medicine course only essential during the pandemic? At the time, students were able to put their lives at risk, the lives of their parents, their siblings, but now isn’t it essential? So it’s only essential when it’s appropriate?” asked the 6th year student.

The student’s speech was given after a member of the UFRR Strike Command said that internship and medical residency were not essential services, even though the University considered them.

In addition to the mobilization, the boarding school students filed a lawsuit with the Federal Public Ministry and a writ of mandamus.

Central Student Directory

To FolhaBV, the president of the UFRR Central Student Directory, Laura Secundino, highlighted that she is looking for ways for the strike to affect students less, but that suspensions are part of the strike movement.

“We try our best to cover all students within the university, that is, we go through academic centers to understand how this is affecting them. […] Regarding the boarding school, we are looking for the best ways to resolve this, so that we can actually cover [eles] and this, which is a consequence of the strike, may affect students less. But it is necessary to understand the entire scope of the university, which is suffering from budget cuts”, stated Laura.

The Federal University of Roraima joined the national strike on April 22. The movement throughout Brazil seeks salary adjustments for teachers and budget adjustments for public higher education institutions.