The cost of being absent: students caught between health and attendance
Students at medical institutions in India are protesting against rigid attendance policies that force sick students to attend classes. The deaths of two nursing students have sparked a debate over the balance between academic requirements and student health.
Why it matters
It highlights systemic issues in medical education regarding student welfare and the potential need for more flexible medical leave policies.
On September 21, 2026, students of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, protested over the death of Divyanshi Yadav, a 2025-batch B.Sc. Nursing student who died of dengue. A student at the protest site told PTI that though Divyanshi was suffering from the disease, she still had to attend college. “Despite being on the deathbed, she was tense about her attendance. Students are forced to come to the college daily to mark attendance, ignoring their medical conditions. We get messages from teachers telling us to come to the college after taking medicine,” he said.
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