Union Health Dr. Shri Harsh Vardhan in an announcement on Friday, October 4, 2019, said that NEET 2020 will be the single entrance exam held for all admissions to MBBS courses. Dr. Harsh Vardhan confirmed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test of 2020 will be scrapping the existing examination system of AIIMS and JIPMER.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan had in the month of July brought back the controversial National Medical Commission into the Parliament, which was then passed by both the houses and then by President Shri Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday, August 8, 2019. According to the NMC Act, NEET will be the single entrance exam for all admissions to medical courses in the country. Presently, Institutes of National Importance like AIIMS and JIPMER have their own examination and counseling system. The NMC Act, however, proposed to scrape that system and bring in a uniform examination system for medical admissions in India.
The government had confirmed that the NMC Act would be implemented in the next three years. However, on Friday, October 4, 2019, Dr. Harsh Vardhan announced that NEET 2020 will be the start of merging both existing examination patterns. He added that along with NEET 2020, there will be common counseling for all medical institutes in India.
Another provision in the NMC Act includes the introduction of a National Exit Test (NEXT) as a common licensing examination for all medical professionals in India. NEXT would be scraping off the existing system of Foreign Medical Graduates Examination, also known as MCI Screening Test, while at the same time being the final year examination for MBBS students in Indian colleges and universities. The NEXT score would also be applicable for students seeking admission to Post Graduate courses in medicine. The implementation of NEXT will, however, be done within the coming three years after due consultation and planning with all stakeholders in the medical industry.
