The Centre on Friday announced that admission to AIIMS and JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research) will also be done through the nationwide common NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) from 2020.
The announcement was made by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, on Friday. AIIMS and JIPMER ,so far, conducted their own entrance test.
The common national entrance test – NEET, applicable to institutes of national importance like AIIMS and JIPMER and common counselling for MBBS, as per the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, will come into force from the next academic year in 2020. “This will help set common standards in the medical education sector in the country,” said Vardhan.
Currently, admissions to all medical colleges except AIIMS and JIPMER are done through NEET. AIIMS and JIPMER, which function under the Union Health Ministry, conduct their own admission tests at present.
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.
“The 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 in 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.
“NEARLY 85,000 MBBS seats are going to be available for admission through NEET now. We hope to take this number past 90,000 next year,” said another ministry official.