In a move that would bring smiles on the faces of the medical aspirants, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) could soon be scrapped for postgraduate students. According to the revised draft of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, the Union Health Ministry has proposed to do away with NEET-PG and for admission to MD and MS programmes. It has proposed to use the final MBBS exam. The revised draft of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, will soon be sent to the Cabinet. The Bill, introduced in December 2017, lapsed when the tenure of the 16th Lok Sabha ended.
“According to the amendments in the fresh NMC Bill, entry into the PG programmes will be on the basis of the results of the National Exit Test, which would be held as a common exam across the country. So the candidates would not have to appear in a separate exam after clearing the MBBS final exam for admission to PG courses,” sources said. However, the exams for AIIMS, NEET super specialty and other entrance tests remain.
While introducing the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan said, “The National Medical Commission Bill could be introduced in the near future, though for having legal continuity, every ordinance has to be converted into a law,” he said.
The original Bill which lapsed was met with opposition, as it sought to set up a National Medical Commission, which would regulate medical education as well as medical practice leading to protest from Indian Medical Association.