THE ROTATION of clinical clerks and post-graduate/medical interns will continue regardless of the community quarantine status, the Commission on Higher Education said.

This will allow “additional frontliners in hospitals without compromising the safety of the interns” since they will not be rotated in Covid19 areas, CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III said.

The directive is in pursuant to the resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on September 9, 2021.

“CHED and DOH issued on 16 September, the Amendment of Article IV-B of CHED-DOH JMC No. 2021-001, series of 2021 or the Guidelines on the Gradual Reopening of Campuses of higher education institutions for limited face-to-face classes during the Covid19 pandemic,” De Vera said.

He said HEIs in areas under general community quarantine may be given authority to conduct limited in-person classes.

To be able to continue physical clinical rotation of clinical clerks and post-graduate or medical interns, HEIs should have submitted their applications to the concerned CHED regional Offices, De Vera said.

These HEIs should be offering any of the priority health-related degree programs and courses and have base hospitals catering to Covid19 patients.

“Medical clerks and postgraduate/medical interns shall NOT be allowed to rotate in the emergency room, out-patient department, and COVID wards, but ONLY be allowed to rotate in non-COVID units (including non-COVID operating rooms and ICU), telemedicine hub and the Bayanihan Na Operations Center (if applicable),” De Vera said.

The CHED chief added that fully vaccinated medical clerks and postgraduate/medical interns shall be allowed to participate in face-to-face classes while those who have not given jabs shall continue with the flexible learning modality.

The limited in-person classes of medical clerks and postgraduate/medical interns in base hospitals “shall not be affected” by the implementation of granular lockdowns, De Vera said.