CHENNAI: The State government right from the beginning has been opposing the National Exit Test (NEXT), a common test for final-year MBBS students, proposed in the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, said Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 44th Annual Conference of Indian Academy of Paediatrics- Madras Pedicon 2019, Vijaya Baskar said, “The State is also against the term ‘Community Health Provider’ proposed in the NMC Bill. The Community Health Provider was proposed as there is shortage of doctors in the country. According to WHO guidelines and Medical Council of India norms, for a population of 1,000, there must be one doctor. But in Tamil Nadu, for around a population of 700 itself, there is one doctor.”
Meanwhile, the Indian Academy of Paediatrics has requested the government to pass a resolution to treat all children up to 18 years in children’s hospitals.