Now, there’s more to be done by a medical student to earn the title “doctor” than to finish their medical course of five and a half years. On Thursday, the Union Health Ministry made public the draft of Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill 2016 which stated that medical students would need to pass the NEXT (National Exit Test). NEXT is predicted to produce a level-playing ground in the education of medicine, which is becoming more privatised.

More About NEXT

An official of the Central Govt said that the medical education quality in India will get better and evaluating students will be helped by NEXT. The official stated that it will constitute of three tests – these include NEET for PG, CHS (Central Health Services) enlistment, and FMGE (Foreign Medical Gradate Examination). They also mentioned that the students’ performance of NEXT would be announced publicly, of individual colleges. If there are more than 90 percent of a college’s students doing well in the test, it would mechanically be an indicator. Medical students get to make a better selection of a college.

Views of Experts in the Field

The head of state’s dept. of medical education and research, Dr P Shingare, suggested that NEXT is a commendable move. He said that the test will introduce some standardisation when it comes to comparing students from different universities and colleges. Another medical professor said that while inspection by officials rates only the infrastructure of an institution, the results of NEXT can be a dependable source to understand the quality of the institution.

On the other hand, Dr Devi Shetty, the famed cardiac surgeon, who used to be a member of MCI (Medical Council of India), feels that the provisions of the draft is appropriate for an economy of excess, which is equipped with a suitable no. of doctors.

The keenest comments were invited by the reservation for medical officers. Dr Devi Shetty stated that the cleverest individuals need to be permitted to seek PG education. He said that these individuals are encouraged to pause their studies and take a break when, preferably, they’re supposed to specialise by the time they’re 30 years of age.

Dr Shingare added that, in the last two decades, the post-graduate education was taken up by close to a hundred medical officers. However, the govt system did not see even one of the 2000 doctors return to it.

A past member of the MCI, Dr Gautam Sen, pointed that this decision is a “reduction in meritocracy”. He asked what the requirement for the introduction of another quota is when  there’s already a reservation system in place for UG and PG levels. He suggested that the govt initiate the full reforms of Medical Council rather than such disconnected endeavours. He asked why the govt still hasn’t introduced the complete bill although the Parliament has cleared the bill.