Mega
changes to be introduced in the medical education sector. With the dissolution
of the 16th Lok Sabha, the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill stands
lapsed. The new Government is planning to put a fresh draft before the Union
Cabinet, after certain modifications. In the previous bill it was proposed that
the medical practitioners of alternative medicines (AYUSH) should be allowed to
pursue allopathy by taking a short ‘bridge course’. As this proposal was
opposed by the IMA, this provision has been omitted as of now.
The
amendment to the NMC Bill which stands out is that, the final year MBBS exam
would be held commonly throughout the country and it will be called NEXT or
National Exit Test. The students will thus not be required to take a separate
license exam after MBBS, to practice. Also, NEXT would be the screening test
for those doctors who have taken medical degrees from foreign universities and
want to practice in India.
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