July 2023 Issue

Dear IMA GSB Friends,
Seasons’ Greetings. Wishing you Happy RathYatra in advance.

Wishing you Happy Independence Day, Pateti,Rakshabandhan & Akshay Purnima.
“Aao Gaon Chale…” has become a very important and start u activity for IMA. Almost all branches have adopted one village, and through that have also catered to near-by & surrounding 5-6 villages.

Our members’ problems are increasing day by day. To prevent violence in hospital by patients and their relatives, it is very important to have strict implementation of medical & clinical establishment safety act. Also, problems related to fire-safety, form-c, BU permission etc. are also increasing. Those members who have proper connections in various governments should come forward and help office bearers.

Moreover, frequent changes made in format and methodology of UG and PG exams by the NMC, which is trying to copy-paste other developed countries’ methods, are also not good for future doctors.

Is our MBBS exam irrelevant?

NMC (National Medical Commission) has announced an exit examination for all MBBS students in the country. The students will take the exam in 2 stages: NExT 1 and NExT 2. This examination will be their final MBBS exam, licentiate exam and post graduate selection exam.

Amongst several other challenges to the students, it is not possible to implement in present scenario until NMC ensure the uniform standard of medical education across all medical colleges in India. We cannot support NEXT in present situation for the following fundamental reasons:
Not a level playing field: India is a country with vast diversity in geography, the people, and their social profile. Common tests for all medical students are not the right approach to achieve common minimum standards in medical education and care. Setting common uniform standards in institutions and the entrance pattern is what is desirable. Common exams would deprive the poor, rural, under privileged and marginalised sections of their right to learn and practice medicine. Nearly 50% of the total medical colleges in India both Govt and Private were started 10-15 years ago only. The standard of such colleges cannot be compared to the colleges which have well trained teachers & system. That too AIIMS conducting the NExT will be detrimental to the students of newly started medical colleges. Minimum common standard of education should be ensured prior to uniform examination by periodic assessment and upgradation.

Licensing not required for Indian Medical Graduates: Creating an exit test to get a medical licence, for Indian medical graduates is mocking our own system. It is certainly required for foreign medical graduates since NMC has no control over their standards. An exit test for licensing the medical graduates who complete their courses from the institutions guided and approved by NMC would be demeaning.

PG Entrance should be separate: Licencing exam and PG entrance exam can never be the same as the purpose is entirely different. Licensing exam should assess the lowest minimum standard while the entrance exam would assess the best merit among students. The entrance test hence would invariably contain tough questions too to separate the best from the rest and these questions cannot be used to assess the minimum essential standard. Hence both set of questions and the pattern of exams have to be different. Minimum marks for passing for licensing should not be more than 30% (or percentile) if the exam is common as at least 30 to 40 % of questions will be of highest standards since its a competitive exam for PG entrance also. Hence only 50 percentage of the minimum standard questions need to be applied for qualifying for licence. If at all a central exam is being conducted for licensing, the set of questions should be different from that for PG Entrance. There is no reason or requirement to change the existing pattern of examination for Indian Medical graduates, known for their skills and acumen world over.

Loss for the country: India witnessed a surge of new medical colleges due to Central Government will power and commitment and even in last 6-7 years more than 300 new medical colleges have started. NExT for License to practice will defuse the entire efforts of central Government of opening up all these new medical colleges as if majority of students won’t be allowed to practice medicine because of a central tough exam for selecting meritorious students for PG course and licensing too AND what will these students will do after 5 years and paying almost 1 crore of fee in private medical colleges after failing in these NExT exams? NExT Exam for licence will lead to generate frustrated medical students on verge of becoming doctors but denied by NExT to practice and discourage the aspirants students to join medical colleges for uncertainty in future and ultimately all new Medical Colleges will be deprived of students and ultimately get closed because without establishing a uniform medical education standard we have forced a common Exam NExT for licensing in India.

Exam should be conducted by Universities: NMC can provide common pattern and question banks but the universities have the Constitutional Right to conduct and award the degree certiϐicates. An examination by a third party will create many legal hurdles. Even completing the MBBS course successfully through a recognised college and university would not guarantee our students the right to practice medicine. This is gross injustice to our medical students.

Under these circumstances, the medical fraternity appeals to the Central Government to intervene and instruct NMC to reconsider the proposal for NExT. A stakeholder consultation is required to address all concerns before attempting implementation of NExT for Indian Medical Colleges Students.

We as doctors are duty bound to safeguard the interest of the common man, the medical students and the professionals alike.
Jay IMA, Jay Garvi Gujarat, Jay Hind.

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