Union Health Ministry to oppose Exit Exam after MBBS, says report

The Proposal to have a common exit exam after MBBS has been a matter of debate ever since it was first proposed by the National Medical Commission Bill in 2016 when it was proposed as an additional licentiate exam after MBBS.

New Delhi: The controversial Exit Exam after MBBS may not find its place in the upcoming medical policy as the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to reject the proposal to have a common centralised exit exam (NEXT) for MBBS students, reports the New Indian Express.

Medical Dialogues had reported about the recently released draft of the National Education Policy that was submitted to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. The HRD ministry then forwarded the draft to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to seek its views on the recommendations made by the draft

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Amongst various suggestions on the reform of medical education in the country, the draft recommended Centralised exit examination for MBBS education stating

Just as the NEET has been introduced as a common entrance examination for the MBBS, a common exit examination for the MBBS will be introduced (as has been suggested in the National Medical Commission Bill) that will play a dual role as also the entrance examination for admission into postgraduate programmes. This exit examination will be administered at the end of the fourth year of the MBBS so that students are relieved of the burden of studying for a separate, competitive entrance examinations at the end of their residency period. With the entrance examination out of the way, they can spend their residency period acquiring valuable skills and competence. Similar common exit examinations can also be conducted for dental education and other disciplines as needed.

While analysing the various recommendation, sources in the health ministry informed the New Indian Express that the ministry will oppose the NEXT recommendation.

"We have received the communiqué and deliberations are on about various suggestions related to medical education but we have decided to oppose the clause related to a single exit examination," a senior official in the medical education section of Health Ministry informed the New Indian Express.

Controversial NEXT