Medical students all over the country are anxious, making studying almost impossible. NExT, the proposed new exam is creating much confusion and agony.
Reconsider NExT to save education and health
Medical education in the country is under the direct control of the National Medical Commission NMC. Each seat in UG and PG courses needs their sanction. The curriculum is decided and implemented by NMC, courses are conducted by approved colleges and exams are held by Universities. A student gets admission through the entrance, conducted by the Government. He undergoes one of the toughest training, appears in umpteen theory, practical, viva and clinical exams and qualifies for all exams conducted by respective Universities. Hitherto passing the final MBBS exam conducted by the University would allow the student to graduate and completion of the internship would get him his right to practice Medicine. This system has prevailed for decades and has produced some of the best doctors in the world.
Now NMC feels, for unknown reasons without any gap analysis whatsoever, that the system has to change. Medicos, they say, should appear in a final exam, NEXT if they’re to be allowed to practise. The idea is to test the standards and also to provide a common test for licence and postgraduate entrance. This will be an MCQ type of centralized theory exam conducted by AIIMS followed by a practical exam by the University. Students have to pass both to be eligible to become an intern and then have to pass one more viva at the end of the internship to be eligible to get licence to practice Medicine.
Few legitimate questions arise here
Whose standards are we trying to test? Whether it’s the authorities who sanction these courses, NMC who set the curriculum, the university who conducts the exams or colleges who conduct the courses? How can testing students ensure the standards of any of these institutions? Shouldn’t we be having mechanisms to test these systems and not the students who have undergone a five-year course according to set standards?
Changing the exam pattern to MCQ has serious repercussions. A review of the results of MCQ based PG entrance exam of previous years shows that only around 25 percent have scored 50 percent marks. The NEXT exam being common for licence and PG entrance can be expected to be of similar standards. What should the 75% leftovers do? After five years of rigorous course, they’ll continue to be just plus two qualified.
Currently the best out of those who appear to get PG seats, the cut-off qualifying marks being around 30 percent. With only 25 percent expected to qualify Next exam how the pg seats will be filled? How will we get interns and junior Doctors? Won’t this lead to the collapse of not just medical education but health care too?
MBBS testing pattern has never been MCQ based. Now there are only 10% of multiple choice questions, the rest 90% are subjective, which is only legitimate given the nature of medical studies. Having the MCQ mode of exam for PG entrance is well understood. But using the same format for medical licensing that too with negative marks can never be justified. MBBS students have been trained all along in the subjective method and neither students nor teachers are aware nor trained in mcq method suddenly changing the exam pattern will only help in mushrooming of entrance coaching centres and divert the students’ main purpose from learning and acquiring clinical skills to mugging entrance questions.
While entrance is a competitive exam to test the best, licensing exam should be a qualifying exam to test the minimum essential skills how can both be tested with the same exam? If at all anyone insists on mcq tests as licensing exams, shouldn’t it be different from the competitive PG entrance test?
As such we all know that medical students are equipped to practise Medicine not through the tests they undergo but through the course, curriculum and training. Exam topper may not be the best Doctor. What we’ve to ensure are the best standards of Medical education and the right to connect with society.
On one hand, Government wants to liberalise medical education and is opening up more medical colleges to overcome the deficiency of medical manpower. On the other hand trained graduates are being prevented from practicing Medicine. Isn’t this paradoxical? Won’t this result in wasting the huge investment in Medical education?
Next is neither feasible nor desirable. It’ll only distract Medicos from focusing on their studies, deny them of their legitimate right to practice Medicine and deprive society of the services of qualified doctors.
That’s why IMA is demanding that it has to be either totally done away with or modified to ensure justice to the Medical fraternity and good health to all citizens.
