No proposal to eliminate NEET: Health Ministry

In a clarification to the Indian Parliament, the health ministry informed that it was not proposing the abolition of the NEET exam. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Junior Health Minister in the Central government, was answering the questions in the Rajya Sabha of Indian Parliament. The minister asserted that several guidelines by the Medical Council of India and the National Medical Commission Act together with the Supreme Court rulings demands a national level medical entrance and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET. This has resulted in greater transparency and decreased the load on future students of taking multiple entrance exams.

According to the minister, prior to the enactment of the National Medical Commission act, Section 10 D of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 asked for holding a single entrance examination titled National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to all medical educational institutions at undergraduate and post-graduate level. The guidelines of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 for holding NEET apply across the country without any exception to any State. He further asserted that NEET had resulted in improved and minimum standards of medical education, restricting misconduct in medical admission.

The minister informed that some objections were raised by some States against this guideline before the Departmental related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare. The Standing Committee took note of these interpretations. After requisite consideration, it recommended in its 109th Report on NMC Bill 2017 to hold a uniform National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for admission to the undergraduate medical education in all medical institutions. 

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