IMA, medical students protest against NEXT

From A Correspondent

Tezpur, Feb 1: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Tezpur Branch and Assam Branch, in association with Tezpur Medical College and Medical Students Network, on Wednesday observed tiol Protest Day at Tezpur Medical College and Hospital against the proposed tiol Exit Test (NEXT).

A day-long agitation programme was taken with a protest rally at TMCH. NEXT is part of the proposal mooted by the Union Health Ministry as part of the amendments to be introduced in the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Act. According to the proposal, students are mandated to clear NEXT to obtain license to practice. The test will be introduced as a substitute  to three tests, including NEET for postgraduate admission, recruitment for central health services and the foreign  graduate medical examition.

In a joint statement, IMA Tezpur branch  president Dr Laksheswar Bhuyan and secretary Dr. Atul Kumar Kalita  said that the amended IMC Act might allow anyone having MBBS from Chi or Russia and 3 to 6 months diploma to bypass the screening exam and get themselves registered in India and start practice.

Bichtra Bijoy Hazarika and Abhisek Joshi,  students from Tezpur Medical College,  in a joint statement  said that  unless the fil examitions are held and internship started uniformly at the tiol level and NEET is held within one month of MBBS exam, the stress of PG exam will continue to loom over the minds of the medical graduates  to such an extent that PG students will keep committing suicide .They also said that students would miss skilled training in internship just because they need to mug up multiple choice questions (MCQs). The students pledged to intensify their stir if their demands were not met immediately.