NEW DELHI: Starting 2020, there will be just one entrance test for all medical colleges in India, including AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Sciences) in various parts of the country and JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research) at Puducherry.
At present, admissions to all medical colleges except AIIMS and JIPMER are done through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). As for AIIMS and JIPMER, which directly function under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, admission tests are conducted by the National Testing Agency and are arguably tougher than NEET.
But with the National Medical Commission (NMC) — the new medical education regulator replacing the Medical Council of India — now slowly taking shape, the Union health ministry has decided to scrap the other two entrance tests.
“NEET score will be valid for admission to all medical colleges in India starting next academic session,” said a senior official in the medical education section of the health ministry.
There are about 15 AIIMS in the country now, which offer undergraduate courses. They have about 1,500 MBBS seats as of now, but the government is hoping to get academic activities started at least three more such institutions in the next one year.
Officials also said that with just one entrance test for all medical colleges, it will be easy to rank the institutions — particularly second-generation AIIMS in various cities — based on student perception and choice of college.
90,000+ MBBS seats
“Nearly 85,000 MBBS seats available for admission through NEET now. We hope to take this number past 90,000 next year,” another official said