NMC Bill to eliminate NEET-PG, FMGE, AIIMS MBBS, JIPMER MBBS; proposes NEXT

New Delhi July 29: In a major breakthrough in the history of medical education, the Ministry of Health introduced the National Medical Commission Bill (NMC) in Lok Sabha on July 22. The Bill intends to revolutionize the medical education landscape by bringing in radical changes like scrapping of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for postgraduate (NEET-PG) and Foreign Medical Graduate Entrance Exam (FMGE). Replacing the two examinations, the bill proposes to introduce the National Exit Test (NEXT) which will be conducted for not only getting admission in postgraduate medical courses but will also be a licentiate exam, allowing medical students to get enrolled in the national or state register. Students in the final year of their MBBS course will be able to take the exam.

NMC bill repeals IMC
The new bill which has been revived with few alterations will repeal the Indian Medical Council Act (IMC) 1956. Indian Medical Council, an autonomous body, has been supervising and regulating medical educational and financial policies for over 60 years in the country. Once the bill gets the approval of the parliament, National Medical Commission will precede over IMC. Introduced back in 2017, the bill had lapsed due to the dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha and various contentious clauses that featured in the bill. Owing to widespread to criticism on such clauses, the bill never saw the light of the day.

NEET PG/UG/SS
At present, admission to MD/MS courses is taken on the basis of merit in NEET-PG. After the NMC Bill comes into effect, the admission to postgraduate courses (broad specialities) will be based on National Exist Test. The bill also proposes to merge all entrance exams at the undergraduate level which includes AIIMS and JIPMER with National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. In order to get admission to super-speciality (SS) courses, candidates will have to appear and qualify NEET- SS.

Medical license through NEXT
Currently, Medical graduates in India can directly register with the Medical Council of India to obtain the permanent registration certificate. Students who have completed MBBS offshore are required to qualify the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE) to be eligible for permanent registration.

FMGE tests the capability of the foreign medical graduate vis a vis Indian medical education system to be eligible to obtain a license and permanent registration. With the introduction of NEXT, all medical graduates irrespective of their foreign or Indian medical education will be judged against the same yardstick. It aims to ensure that the minimum standard of qualification is met so as to cater to the rising demand for qualified medical practitioners in all parts of the country.

NEXT and the way forward
Since the bill has just been introduced in the monsoon session of the parliament, it is yet to become a legitimate Act. Earlier this week, the parliament extended the monsoon session till August 7, 2019. However, it is unlikely to affect the entrances exam in the near future. The proposed bill states “the National Exit Test shall become operational on such date, within three years from the date of commencement of this Act, as may be appointed by the Central Government, by notification.” therefore the said changes will not affect entrance exams namely, NEET-PG, NEET-UG, AIIMS MBBS, JIPMER in the coming year.