MD/MS admission: NMC issues draft guidelines, seeks feedback

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 2

Changing the procedure for admission to MD/MS courses, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has put forth its draft guidelines for colleges.

As per the guidelines, the National Exit Test (NEXT) (from the date it becomes operational) shall be the basis for admission to the MD/MS courses in each academic year. Notably, seven medical colleges in Punjab offer about 690 MD/MS seats.

“For admission to MD/MS courses, the candidate must qualify NEXT and be eligible to be granted a licence to practice as a medical practitioner and for enrolment in the state or national medical register, as the case may be,” reads the draft guidelines issued by the NMC in the public domain, seeking feedback from the public and various stakeholders.

For admission to postgraduate broad specialty courses, NEXT marks shall remain valid for three years from the date a person has become eligible to be granted licence to practice as a medical practitioner. After the expiry of the validity of the NEXT marks, the person shall have to appear for and qualify the exam again to be eligible for admission to MD/MS courses.

The MD/MS students also have to undergo a three-month District Residency Programme. This is aimed at acquainting the students with the planning, implementation, monitoring and assessment of the outcomes of the national health programmes at the district level and to orient them to promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services being provided by various categories of healthcare professionals under the umbrella of the National Health Mission.

Moreover, the answer scripts of the students will be subjected to two valuations. The average of the total marks awarded by the two valuators for the paper, rounded off to the nearest value, shall be considered for the computation of the results. All answer scripts, where the difference between the two valuations is 15 per cent and more of the total marks prescribed for the paper, shall be subjected to a third valuation. The average of the two best total marks, awarded by the three evaluators for the paper, 25 rounded off to the nearest value, shall be considered for final computation of the results.

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