Doctors are calling on the premier of WA to grant exemptions to the 69 GP registrars caught up in the state’s COVID-19 lockdown, throwing their fellowship exams in doubt.

More than a thousand trainees across the country are due to sit a pen-and-paper version of the Key Feature Problem exam this Friday, which will begin just hours before the five-day lockdown is due to end.

Dr Hemant Garg has now written to Premier Mark McGowan requesting that the Perth candidates are granted an exemption from the lockdown, arguing they should be classed as essential workers for the community.

“It would be a gross injustice … if after all this time, effort and financial cost to themselves, [registrars] are simply told they can’t do this exam,” the Perth GP wrote in the letter, which is now being shared on social media.