MUMBAI In a major examination blunder, a section of first-year postgraduate homeopathy students of the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) appearing for their semester-end examinations on Friday was mistakenly handed the question paper meant for an exam scheduled on Monday.The students, who are specialising in Materia Medica, were instead given Monday’s paper of the Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine in Homeopathy Materia Medica. The error has raised questions over the confidentiality of the exam process and the systems in place for the handling, sorting and distribution of papers. Materia Medica is a postgraduate speciality focused on the detailed study of homoeopathic medicines, their sources, characteristic symptom profiles, therapeutic indications and selection for individual patients.Dr S S Kadu, controller of examinations at Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, said, “The moderator pushed the wrong paper through the software. As soon as we realised the same, we sent another paper of Fundamentals of Homeopathy Materia Medica within minutes. And on Monday, we will send another paper of Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine in Homeopathy Materia Medica.”According to those familiar with the incident, the mistake came to light after the papers were distributed in the exam hall. A doctor said, “I was shocked on reading the contents of the question paper. Only later did I realise that the incorrect question paper was handed out to all of us.”Another student taking the exam said the blunder led to a delay in starting the exam as new question papers of Friday’s exam had to be sourced and distributed. Students, however, confirmed they were allotted additional time for the loss.Postgraduate homeopathy examinations involve candidates from different specialisations, with separate papers scheduled across the exam period. The episode has underlined the need for stricter checks for the dispatch and verification of question papers.
