New Delhi: Students aspiring to go abroad for MBBS studies, may also have to go ahead with giving NEET. The Union Health Ministry is reported to be pondering over making NEET compulsory for aspirants wanting to pursue medical study abroad, in order to ensure onlyquality of medical entrants leaving the country. In all probability, the proposal shall tabled by the Health Ministry, making NEET mandatory for students wanting to study abroad .

A recent report in Pioneer states, that the government is indeed planning to make passing NEET mandatory for going abroad. “Those aspiring to pursue MBBS abroad will be given a No Objection Certificate (NOC) only if they have cleared NEET,” a Ministry official informed the daily. The aim behind NEET is to prevent mediocrity finding place in the medical profession through money and connections. “Most of them fail to pass the test required to practice in India,” he said .

The officials pointed out that the quality of foreign medical graduates has surfaced in their performance in the FMGE, in the last 5 years, which has varied from 13.09% to 26.9%. As there are no entrance tests in foreign institutes, it has resulted in sub optimal performance by foreign medical graduates in screening tests. The reason for their poor performance being the sub standard education imparted in foreign institutes and students lacking the competitive killing spirit, explain health officials.

“Hence, we want only competent students to join medical colleges in foreign countries, so that when they return they are at least aware of the subjects they have learned for giving NEET,” one official added. Approximately 12 lakh students sit for the MBBS examination. NEET 2017 saw 11.5 lakh students register.

Graduate Medical Regulation Curriculum, as notified by the MCI, when compared to that pursued by the foreign medical graduates finds many places falling short in terms of clinical exposure. This also leads to unsatisfactory performance by foreign graduates in subjects like paediatrics, Obstetrics and gynaecology and community medicine said an officials.

According to NBE data, 63,000 foreign medical graduates have appeared for FMGE in the last 5 years.

China has emerged as the preferred country for medical education for medical students since 2011, with Russia following as the second preferred destination.Ukraine and Nepal falling in the 3^rd place, reports the Pioneer.