‘Anti-student order’: Students, doctors oppose NExT exam gazette, NMC regulations

NEW DELHI: The government has issued a gazette notification on National Medical Commission (NMC)’s National Exit Test Regulations 2023 for the NExT exam. The regulations include guidelines on NExT exam pattern, schedule, marking scheme, eligibility, and more. The exam will replace the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) PG for admission to postgraduate programmes and for practising medicine.

“These regulations shall be called the NMC, National Exit Test Regulations, 2023. These regulations shall come into force at once from the date of their publication in the official gazette,” the official gazette notification said.

Several MBBS students and doctors opposed the NExT exam gazette and demanded withdrawal of the regulations. While some called it a violation of the NMC Act 2019, others highlighted the lack of clarity around the exam schedule.

Also Read | NExT exam must for foreign medical graduates to intern in India: NMC regulations

As per the regulations, MBBS students can appear for NExT Step 1 multiple times to improve their scores given that they have passed NExT Step 2 and complete the process within 10 years of MBBS admissions.

The NExT exam will be held in two steps – Step 1 and Step 2. Both the tests will be conducted twice a year and the 2019 batch of MBBS students will be the first batch appearing for the exam. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi will conduct NExT Step 1 in May and November.

A doctor called the NExT regulations “anti-student” and said in a tweet, “Tomorrow on Doctors Day ! India is going to watch All over India medical student #PROTEST DAY against Anti student Order of NMC_IND !!”

Tomorrow on #DoctorsDay !
India is going to watch All over India medical student #PROTEST DAY against Anti student Order of @NMC_IND !! #NEXTEXAM #NONEXTFOR19BATCH #NONEXTFOR2019BATCH @PTI_News @ANI @the_hindu @htTweets @dna @mansukhmandviya @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/gfD4pjxL5z

— Indian Doctor?? (@Indian__doctor) June 30, 2023

Another doctor said that imposing NExT on 2019 batch is violation of NMC Act 2019. He tweeted, “Imposing NeXT on 2019 batch is violation of clause 49 (1) of NMC act because 2019 batch started on 1st Aug 2019 while NMC act was published on 08/08/2019.”

★Imposing NeXT on 2019 batch is violation of clause 49 (1) of NMC act because 2019 batch started on 1st Aug 2019 while NMC act was published on 08/08/2019.
★खुद के नियम की ही धज्जियां उड़ा रही एनएमसी ? #NONEXTFOR19BATCH #NEXTEXAM #NEXT #NEETPG #NONEXTFOR19BATCH pic.twitter.com/ithlvcG9Bn

— Dr Vivek pandey (@Vivekpandey21) July 1, 2023

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) asked what is the mistake of the 2019 batch and opposed the gazette. “Ques: What mistake did the 2019 batch do? Ans: He dreamed of MBBS in this country. Is NMC really an institution, or just a joke! We strongly oppose the new Gazette,” it said in a tweet.

Ques: क्या गलती की है 2019 batch ने?
Ans: उन्होंने इस देश में MBBS का सपना देखा।

क्या @NMC_IND सच में एक संस्था है, या बस एक मज़ाक़!

We strongly oppose the new Gazette. #NEXTEXAM #MedTwitter @MoHFW_INDIA @mansukhmandviya @OfficeOf_MM @ianilradadiya @DghsIndia

— FORDA INDIA (@FordaIndia) June 30, 2023

A student called NExT a “mental torture” and wrote in a tweet, “NMC and Govt is responsible for Mental torture that is now faced by each and every Medical students across the Nation that's it.”

"NMC and Govt is responsible for Mental torture that is now faced by each and every Medical students across the Nation that's it" @NMC_IND @aiims_newdelhi #NEXTEXAM #NEXT #NEETPG #NEET #NONEXTFOR19BATCH pic.twitter.com/1lGNnqHTOy

— MD SELIM SHEIKH (@mdselim2k19) June 30, 2023

Another doctor talked about the non-clarity of dates and said, “In the #NEXTEXAM gazette it is still unclear that #19batch will appear in November or may ..no mention about negative marking as it was said in webinar that gazette will be final!”

In the #NEXTEXAM gazette it is still unclear that #19batch will appear in November or may ..no mention about negative marking as it was said in webinar that gazette will be final !!so 19 batch get ready for tomorrow retweet this maximum #NONEXTFOR19BATCH #NoNEXT @DrDhruvchauhan pic.twitter.com/ixNYhfifHI

— Dr.Himanshu choudhary (@Himansh000012) June 30, 2023