Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has opposed the Union Health Ministry and Medical Council of India (MCI)'s decision to introduce a National Exit Test (NEXT) for MBBS graduates.
With medical students strongly objecting to the proposed test, the state government has decided to go along with them and conveyed its opposition to the Centre, according to official sources.
Although the government had supported the introduction of a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical and dental courses, it reportedly believes National Exit Test has a few disadvantages
"Generally the pass percentage in any exit examination irrespective of the stream or course is very low for several reasons. When the country is facing an acute shortage of qualified doctors, NEXT could make things worse," said a state education officer. Medical students too fear that once National Exit Test is introduced they will have to clear it to be able to start a practice or pursue post graduation.
But despite the opposition, the Centre could go ahead and introduce National Exit Test any time as it is another step towards making the medical professional more transparent, says an officer of the Union Health Ministry.
