Chorus grows for deferment of NEET PG 2023

The NEET-PG 2023 could be the last such test for admission into PG medical courses as it is expected to be replaced by National Exit Test (NEXT) next year

Hyderabad: The NEET PG-2023 for admission into MD/MS and PG Diploma medical courses for MBBS students across the country has run into widespread resistance, leading to demands for its deferment and revision of eligibility criteria so that more students can appear for the test.

The NEET-PG 2023 could be the last such test for admission into PG medical courses as it is expected to be replaced by National Exit Test (NEXT) next year. As a result, a concerted effort is underway from bodies representing medical students, senior doctors, and parents to force the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to postpone the exam till May and revise internship eligibility criteria.

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which notified NEET PG-2023 exams on March 5, has guidelines that make it mandatory that all MBBS final-year students must complete a one-year internship by July.

However, there are nearly 10,000 MBBS students in different States including Telangana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, etc who will complete their internships by August, making them ineligible for this year’s NEET. The MBBS interns from these States deserve a chance to attempt NEET PG-2023, the doctors argue. “In Telangana, as MBBS students complete their internship by August, they are not eligible for NEET-PG 2023. There are highly talented MBBS doctors who can crack PG entrance on their first attempt. Why rob an opportunity for such medical students?” asks president, Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TSJUDA) Dr Karthik Nagula.

In the last few weeks, local and national wings of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), organizations representing junior doctors and individual MBBS doctors have submitted memorandums to union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, urging him to intervene and postpone NEET PG-2023.