NEET MDS 2024 postponement request ‘under process’: RTI Reply

NEW DELHI: The demand to postpone the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) - Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) is 'under process', the health ministry said, as per an RTI reply. The All India Student's Union (AISU) filed a Right to Information (RTI) on February 8 seeking a response from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regarding the exam schedule. As per the reply posted by AISU on its official X account, the request is currently in the processing stage.

Earlier, the AISU sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and the National Board of Examination (NBE) requesting to postpone the NEET MDS 2024 to July.

In the letter, the student body mentioned that the NBE initially announced in November last year that the NEET MDS exam would take place on February 9. However, in a subsequent notification dated January 20, the exam board informed that the medical entrance exam had been postponed to March 18.

The student union referred to the decision as 'impractical,' asserting that the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) oversees a unified counselling process for NEET PG and MDS. They pointed out that admissions would only begin after the conclusion of the NEET PG internship, which is in August.

The student union highlighted a notable disparity in the notification period, pointing out that NEET PG candidates were informed about the exam postponement six months in advance, whereas NEET MDS candidates received only a two-month notice.

According to the letter from AISU, the delay in announcing the NEET MDS dates has had a significant impact on aspirants, hampering their preparation and adversely affecting their mental health.

Concerns rise over NEET MDS delay

The same situation arose in 2020 also, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The NEET MDS took place on December 16 while the NEET PG exam faced multiple postponements, AISU said in a statement.

Because the counselling process is conducted collectively for both exams, NEET MDS candidates who participated in December 2020 had to wait until November for the counselling process. This year might witness a repetition of such a scenario if NEET MDS is not conducted concurrently with NEET PG in July, AISU worried.

“BDS students of the 2018 batch face potential ineligibility due to internships extending beyond 31 March 2024. While the National Medical Commission (NMC) surveyed 2018 batch internship completion, no such initiative was taken by the Dental Council of India (DCI),” it further said.