Center plans NEET PG as common exit exam for all Medical graduates

• NEET PG 2016 is proposed to be held in first week of Dec 2016
• NEET PG will also act as licensing exam for all MBBS students in India (both govt. and private medical colleges) as per the proposal.
• For permanent registration, all students will need to qualify (>50 %ile marks) NEET PG.
• The PG seats will be allotted as per the merit in NEET PG and those who qualify but fail to get PG seat will be given permanent registration of state medical council or MCI.
• FMGE will also be merged into NEET PG.

Source: Indianexpress
Armed with recommendations from the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare, the Centre is considering instituting an exit examination for MBBS students passing out of government and private medical colleges.

All students would have to clear the test before they can start practising medicine, as well as to get admission in postgraduate medical courses. This year’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Post Graduate (NEET-PG) is slated for the first week of December.

The Union health ministry is planning to notify the NEET-PG as the common exit test, which will replace the myriad university-level examinations that MBBS students have to take before they start practising medicine. Many countries have such centralised tests, and experts have long felt that the emphasis on entrance tests for courses takes away from the need to test students on their way out of the programme — which is when they actually start seeing patients.

The ministry also looking at replacing the screening test for foreign medical graduates (FMGE) with NEET-PG, effectively making it the only test that any MBBS student would need to take to continue in the field of medicine — as a practitioner or as a PG student.

Based on the test scores, there could be a grading mechanism for medical colleges, a senior official in the ministry said.

Sources said the exit examination would ideally require an amendment by the Parliament to the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act. So it may not be possible to introduce NEET-PG as an MBBS exit examination this year. The modalities are being worked out to ensure a rollout as soon as possible.

“A notification can be issued making NEET-PG the exit examination for MBBS students, but the decision can be challenged in court. We are in the process of making changes in the IMC Act on priority as per instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office. It is currently with the NITI Aayog. Once it comes to us, we will consider incorporating the exit examination provision,” said a senior official in the health ministry.

The MCI had recommended to the ministry last July that there should be an exit examination for MBBS students to ensure quality.

The parliamentary standing committee said: “… there is an urgent need to introduce a common exit test for doctors, which will go a long way in standardising the passing out medical graduates and certify the competencies which are expected to be generated out of him.”

PG and superspeciality admissions 2016-17 will be via NEET

The introduction of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) as the sole entrance test by amending the Indian Medical Council Act and Dentists Act has granted statutory status to the test. For 2016 admissions, only state governments have the option of either filling up the seats at state government institutions or filling up state government quota of seats for UG (MBBS and BDS courses only) through NEET or their own test. However, this applies only to the NEET UG.

Private universities, deemed universities, private medical and dental colleges cannot conduct their test for admissions and it is binding on them to fill up all their seats through NEET only, including the management quota seats.

NEET PG is for entry to the MD/MS courses, which will be conducted in December 2016. NEET PG (MDS) is for entry to postgraduate-level dental courses.

Will all states participate?

According to Prof (Dr) Bipin Batra, executive director, National Board of Examinations, it is binding and obligatory for all the states to participate in NEET-PG. A decision to this effect will be taken soon. “Our prior experience on conducting the NEET, All India Postgraduate Medical Entrance Exam, and dealing with the state governments, universities, deemed universities and other institutions will be valuable in execution of NEET PG.” This test and NEET Super Specialty will be conducted by NBE.

Why NEET PG scores are important

NEET PG scores will be an essential requirement for admission to MD/MS courses in institutions controlled by state governments, universities, deemed universities and medical colleges/institutions.

NEET has been introduced with the idea of a common medical exam for admission to UG/PG courses. Institutions such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, will, however, continue to conduct their own UG and PG exams. Will this defeat the purpose of NEET PG?

“NEET as a methodology for entrance has been introduced by an amendment to the Indian Medical Council Act and Dentists Act and, accordingly, the scores of NEET-PG will be valid for institutions under state government, universities, and deemed universities which fall in the ambit of these Acts. However, there are institutions such as AIIMS, PGIMER and JIPMER, which are statutory and have their own Act. These institutions will continue to be covered by their own rules and regulations unless and until the governing councils for these institutions decide to adopt NEET as a methodology for entrance test. The participation of these institutions in NEET will open up the gateway for admissions to candidates across the country. I am sure that over a period of time they would also participate in NEET,” says Prof (Dr) Batra.

Admission criteria after NEET PG

The admission criteria after NEET PG will be based on the merit list prepared by the respective counselling conducting bodies such as state governments, universities, deemed universities and private institutions.

“Each counselling conducting body or institution will determine its own merit list based on the eligibility criteria which may include domicile, minority status etc and the seats will be allocated strictly as per merit in compliance with the regulations framed for the purpose. NEET will help determine merit based on a common uniform and high standard examination while the counselling conducting bodies are free to draw their merit list from among the pool of candidates who have qualified the NEET,” he adds.

Source: HT