Ensure uniform standard of medical education in all colleges, NExT will be a disaster otherwise: IMA petitions GOI

New Delhi (India), July 6: NMC has announced an exit examination for all MBBS students in the country. The exam will be taken by the students in 2 stages: NExT 1 and NExT 2. This examination will be their final MBBS exam, licentiate exam and post graduate selection exam.

Meanwhile, Indian Medical Council has petitions the government to re consider the decision, it says that amongst several other challenges to the students, it is not possible to implement in present scenario until NMC ensure the uniform standard of medical education across all medical colleges in India. “IMA warns that NExT will be a disaster for the country. IMA opposes and rejects NEXT in present situation for the following fundamental reasons:
Not a level playing field: India is a country with vast diversity in geography, the people, and their social profile. Common tests for all medical students are not the right approach to achieve common minimum standards in medical education and care. Setting common uniform standards in institutions and the entrance pattern is what is desirable,” the council said in a petition.

IMA also outlined, “Common exams would deprive the poor, rural, under privileged and marginalised sections of their right to learn and practice medicine. Nearly 50% of the total medical colleges in India both Govt and Private were started 10-15 years ago only. The standard of such colleges cannot be compared to the colleges which have well trained teachers & system. That too AIIMS conducting the NExT will be detrimental to the students of newly started medical colleges, ” it said, adding, “Minimum common standard of education should be ensured prior to uniform examination by periodic assessment and upgradation.

Licensing not required for Indian Medical Graduates: Creating an exit test to medical licence Indian medical graduates is mocking at our own system. It is certainly required for foreign medical graduates since NMC has no control over their standards.”

“An exit test for licensing the medical graduates who complete their courses from the institutions guided and approved by NMC would be demeaning.PG Entrance should be de clubbed: Licencing exam and PG entrance exam can never be the same as the purpose is entirely different. Licensing exam should assess the lowest minimum standard while the entrance exam would assess the best merit among students, ” the council has pointed while also asserting that the entrance test hence would invariably contain tough questions too to separate the best from the rest and these questions cannot be used to assess the minimum essential standard.

Sharing it’s suggestions, IMA has stated that If at all a central exam is being conducted for licensing, the set of questions should be different from that for PG Entrance.

“Testing minimum standard should be the aim for the licensing exam and no tough questions should be included. Such questions can however be included in the PG entrance part of the exam where testing the competitive merit is the aim. For each of the six papers the minimum marks for pass should be 30% (or percentile).

It will save the national cost incurred in establishing Government colleges which will waste if after 5 years of studying candidate fails to common licensing test designed by a premium institution without understanding the gap in the standard of medical education amongst all medical colleges (mainly the around 300 new medical colleges opened in last 6-7 years),” it said.

IMA also outlined that such a measure can be an injustice to the underprivileged sections of the society especially in rural areas of the country, who wouldn’t be able to practise Medicine inspite of getting entry into MBBS course, following the norms set up by the State and undergoing course in colleges approved by NMC.

MCQ testing would not be ideal method of testing the skills and acumen of the students. There is no reason or requirement to change the existing pattern of examination for Indian Medical graduates, known for their skills and acumen world over. Hence, in a longer run, IMA believes that the exam should be conducted by Universities and NMC can provide common pattern and question banks. “Universities have the Constitutional Right to conduct and award the degree certificates. Hence examination by a third party will create lots of legal hurdles, ” IMA suggested.