MCI to remove cap on first MBBS and screening tests

Rita Dutta - Mumbai

There is good news for MBBS students as the Medical Council of India (MCI) has decided to remove the cap on the number of attempts on the first MBBS and screening tests.

A student appears for the first MBBS test after the first one-and-a-half years. The screening test along with the no-objection certificate (NOC) was introduced last year as a measure to check the flow of students migrating to the CIS medical colleges, which reportedly admit students who have failed to secure less than 50 per cent and did not have science as a subject in the twelfth standard. The number of attempts for the first MBBS and screening was earlier fixed at four and three respectively. The relaxation of the number of attempts was decided at the general body meeting of MCI held on March 25.

“The removal of the ceiling on the first MBBS attempts was triggered by the uproar created by the recent suicide of three medical students in Nashik. The students who failed to clear in the first MBBS exam after the fourth attempt were disallowed by the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences from making another attempt,” said an MCI official.

The MCI has been bombarded with requests from academicians and politicians alike to remove the restrictions from different quarters, “as it was felt that it was not reasonable to impose restrictions on the first attempt when there was none for the second and the final MBBS exams,” said the official.

‘‘The benefits of removal of the ceiling far outweigh the disadvantages. We deliberated that studying MBBS in the private medical colleges involves a lot of financial strain for the family and it was not fair to shut the door on a student after the fourth attempt,’’ the official said, adding, ‘‘The removal of the ceiling on attempts would also weed out corruption for students who were left at the mercy of examiners after the third attempt. It would also bring in uniformity as few colleges were allowing students to appear even after the fourth attempt."

"We found that out of the 15,000 students who seek admission in a medical college every year, not more than 50 fail in the first MBBS after the fourth attempt, said the official. According to experts, around 30 per cent fail in the first attempt, 20 per cent in second attempt, five per cent in third attempt and less than one per cent in fourth attempt.

The executive body decided to remove the cap on the screening test also. "It was unreasonable to remove restriction on students studying here and impose restrictions on foreign-returned doctors," said the official.

However, the decision has drawn flak from many experts. According to Dr Anant Mashankar, honorary assistant professor of radiology, K G Somaiya Medical College, "It would lead to deterioration of quality of medical education.” Dr G N Bhatia, vice president, Association of Medical Consultants, feels that the MCI should introduce a Continuing Medical Education (CME) course for doctors who have failed to clear in the second attempt, rather than allowing them to reappear for a number of times. Dr Vasant Shenoy, president, Indian Medical Association, Mumbai-West, avers," A doctor who cannot clear the screening test in three attempts is not fit to be a medical practitioner."

The MCI official dismisses this by saying, "A substandard doctor is better than a quack."