IMA student Wing Opposes National EXIT TEST

With the latest proposal to to amend the Indian Medical Council Act to introduce a National exit exam and 50 percent reservation in post graduate courses for medical officers, the government seems to have created strong ripples among the medical fraternity. With today being the last date to register comments, the IMA youth wing was seen raising strong objections to the proposed policy. Speaking to Medical Dialogues team Dr Sagar Mundada, Chairman, Youth wing, IMA Mahatashtra highlighted three major points under which the students are opposing the proposed amendments. These include

1. Government medical colleges and majority of private medical colleges are under universities which are under the government of respective states. After passing the 4 yearly university exams , again taking another exam is like government saying they don't believe their own universities. If at all NEXT is to be introduced, it should only be for students from deemed medical colleges and foreign graduates


2. Government has proposed 50 percent reservation for pg seats for medical officers. the Student Wing pointed that already, there is 50 percent reservation for medical post graduation and that further reservation will be a violation if supreme courts order of maximum 50 percent reservation


3. Proposal says that 3 years of medical officership in rural areas before pg and 3 years of medical officership after pg will be implemented.By this count, a person will reach age of 33 by time he finishes his post graduation

"We feel that definitely doctors should work in rural areas but it should be by choice not coercion. This requires the government to provide adequate medical infrastructure, adequate living facilities, incentives for those who work in rural areas. Moreover we believe that 1 year each of rural service before and after pg is a justified option, but hoping that 6 years will be spent in rural areas is not practical and will fall flat on its face. Therefore, we suggest that government consider our demands with a considerate approach failing which in the long term the quality of students entering medicine will continue to degrade" added Dr Mundada.