NMC urged to reevaluate National Exit Test implementation

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has appealed to the National Medical Commission (NMC) to reassess the implementation of the National Exit Test (NExT), a potential replacement for the Postgraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-PG) in the admission process for postgraduate medical courses in India.

In a letter directed to Dr. BN Gangadhar, the Chairman of NMC, the IMA conveys its concerns about the NExT exam, expressing reservations about its potential impact on the field of medical education in the country.

The IMA presents several concerns regarding the proposed (NExT) highlighting that the exit test may compromise the vision of affordable and accessible medical education, potentially threatening medical institutions in underprivileged areas.

The IMA emphasises the importance of not training doctors and then denying them the right to practice.

The letter also mentioned that the IMA argues against a uniform test for the entire country, asserting that the current lack of uniform standards across institutions makes it unfeasible.

The letter further said that the IMA deems it illogical to use the same exam for licensing and postgraduate entrance, as the focus differs between assessing minimum standards and selecting the most meritorious students.

The suggested MCQbased test format is criticised for potentially decreasing student engagement in classes and clinics, leading to the proliferation of coaching centres that favour the affluent.

The IMA believes this could harm the academic and clinical skills of students, negatively impacting public health.

Concerns are raised about the proposed sixmonth timeframe to cover the entire syllabus of 19 subjects, potentially reducing MBBS students without a license to a 12th pass level.

"Implementation of NEXT without proper evaluation of its potential benefits, limitations and impact on medical education is a gross injustice to medical students because even after completing the course they would be deprived of their right to practice medicine," the IMA said and further added, "Adequate technical infrastructure, faculty training and support are required in all medical institutions across the country. It may be noted that 349 colleges were given notice for faculty deficiencies in 2023-24 and 40 medical colleges were derecognised in the last 2 months. Limited access to resources may hinder the equal distribution and adoption of NExT across all medical colleges."