0
0
New Delhi, July 10, 2025 — In the wake of recent corruption scandals in the medical education sector, the Association of National Board Accredited Institutions (ANBAI) has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to adopt the National Exit Test (NExT) as a tool for assessing and regulating the performance of medical colleges across India.
ANBAI, which represents hospitals and teaching institutions accredited by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), submitted a letter to the Prime Minister advocating for outcome-based assessment through the NExT exam. The association emphasized that the exam, originally designed as a licensing requirement for medical graduates, could also serve as a benchmark for teaching quality and institutional performance nationwide.
This recommendation follows a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe that uncovered a corruption racket involving officials from the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission (NMC), allegedly manipulating regulatory processes for private medical colleges.
Dr. Alexander Thomas, ANBAI patron, highlighted longstanding issues with the traditional inspection system, often criticized for fostering corruption. He suggested that leveraging NExT results would provide a transparent, technology-driven alternative to physical inspections, allowing authorities to recognize high-performing institutions and prompt improvement plans for those with consistently poor outcomes.
The NExT exam itself has been a subject of ongoing debate. After the NMC released regulations in 2023 and scheduled a mock test, implementation was put on hold following opposition from students and doctors, who argued that conducting the exam for the 2019 MBBS batch would violate the NMC Act, 2019. The Union Health Ministry has since formed a committee to assess the readiness of states and medical colleges for future implementation, particularly for the 2020 MBBS batch.
Stakeholders have been invited to provide feedback on various aspects of the exam, including its timing, format, and whether it should replace or supplement the existing final year MBBS examination.
:
This article is based on information reported by Medical Dialogues as of July 9, 2025. The situation regarding the NExT exam and its use for institutional assessment remains subject to ongoing discussion and regulatory review. Readers are advised to consult official sources for the latest updates and policy decisions.
