MCI issues notice making NEET mandatory for MBBS abroad

NEW DELHI, March 12 : Qualifying the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is mandatory for students seeking to pursue MBBS courses from foreign medical institution s, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has declared via a public notice on March 8, 2018.

The information, which had already been made public earlier by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) during the time of the release of the NEET notification in February 2018, has now been officially confirmed through the MCI notice. As per the MCI, the existing practice of issuing eligibility certificate to candidates desirous of pursuing MBBS abroad will be done away with from June 1, 2018, onwards and the result of NEET will be treated as the new eligibility certificate from thereon.

T he notification clarifies that the new rule has been introduced by the MCI with approval from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The ‘Screening Tests Regulations 2002’ and ‘Eligibil ity Requirement for Taking Admissions in an undergraduate medical course in Foreign Medical Institution Regulation, 2002’, which lay down the rules and regulations for candidates seeking to pursue or who already possess MBBS qualification from abroad, have been accordingly amended by the MCI.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the exam conducting body of NEET 2018, has published the MCI notice on its website on March 10, 2018, for the reference of NEET 2018 aspirants. The notice can be seen below -

What the MCI Notice states

“ Public at large is hereby informed that in terms of Clause 4(2A) of the ‘ Screening Test Regulation, 2002’ and Clause 8(iv) of the ‘ Eligibility Requirement for Taking Admission in an undergraduate medical course in a Foreign Medical Institution Regulation, 2002’ , an India National/Overseas Citizen of India who are desirous for taking admission in MBBS or its equivalent medical course in a medical University/College/Institute outside the country on or after 1 ^st June, 2018 shall have to mandatorily qualify the NEET,” the notice reads. The notice further informs that “the requirement of Eligibility Certificate in respect of such person(s) who would take admission in MBBS or equivalent medical course in a medical university outside the country on or after 1 ^st June, 2018, has been dispensed off. The result of the NEET for admission to MBBS Course shall deem to be treated as Eligibility Certificate for such persons.”

NEET Qualification the new 'eligibility certificate'

As per the previous MCI regulations, c andidates seeking to study MBBS or equivalent medical courses from abroad were required to obtain an eligibility certificate from MCI if they wished to come back to India for practicing medicine. No candidate without an eligibility certificate from MCI was allowed to appear for Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) screening test through which Indian nationals with foreign medical qualfications are granted permission to practice in India.

Now, with the introduction of new changes in MCI regulations, the earlier requirement of obtaining eligibility certificate has been dispensed off and NEET qualification status will be treated as the MCI eligibility certificate for a student seeking admission in MBBS abroad.

Clarifying new regulations

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) earlier clarified that this new rule of mandatorily qualifying NEET for admission to MBBS courses in abroad is not applicable to students who are already pursuing MBBS or equivalent degrees from outside India. “Students who have already taken admission under current regulations to pursue primary medical course by taking Eligibility Certificate from MCI are exempted from qualifying NEET”, stated the clarification note released by MoHFW on February 22, 2018.

The new MCI regulations making NEET mandatory for pursuing MBBS abroad will only be applicable to students seeking to pursue MBBS or equivalent qualification from abroad on or after June 1, 2018. Students who are already pursuing or have gotten admission in foreign medical institutions need not worry about qualifying NEET as long as they have the eligibility certificate issued by MCI.

NEET 2018 will be conducted on May 6, 2018 (Sunday). The last date to apply for NEET 2018 was concluded on March 12, 2018 .