NExT exam for AYUSH students to be effective for 2021-2022 batch

New Delhi: In a major update on the NExT exam for AYUSH students, the Union Minister of State for Ayush (Independent Charge) Prataprao Jadhav has declared that the National Exit Test (NExT) for Ayush will be effective for the students of 2021-22 academic session batch onwards.

According to PTI, the committee has recommended that the NExT will be applied to the students enrolled in the 2021-22 academic session under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Acts, 2020, removing any ambiguity in its implementation.

The decision was taken on the recommendations of a committee set up in this regard to review the concerns of the students in this matter, Jadhav said during a press briefing.

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The test is mandatory for licensing and enrollment in the state or national registers after completing a one-year internship and the structure is problem-based examination featuring clinical case scenarios, images and videos to evaluate practical skills, the minister said, quotes PTI.

Those interns who have not completed their internship but qualified in the National Exit Test shall be eligible to register in the state or national registration board only after completion of one year internship, Jadhav stated.

This announcement has been made after various number of representations came from the students of Ayush stream regarding the implementation of NExT and a meeting with the Union Minister of State for Ayush was held with some representatives of the students of BAMS/BHMS regarding the discussion on the issue of NExT exam of the NCISM and the NCH.

The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) Act, 2020 and the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Act, 2020 came into force w.e.f June 11, 2021 and July 5, 2021 respectively.

The National Exit Test is required to be conducted by the Commissions under the provisions of National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) Act, 2020 and the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Act, 2020 within three years form the date of enforcement of these Acts.

Jadhav stated that "our aim is to ensure a fair and transparent process along with maintaining the quality of Ayush education and healthcare standards".

The NExT is a key examination introduced by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) under the NCISM Act, 2020. It is designed to assess the clinical competency, medical ethics understanding and ability to handle medico-legal cases for graduates in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Sowa-Rigpa.

The minister also announced a major nationwide campaign "Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyan" focused on health and well-being of all citizens.

He said that the campaign will be led by the Ministry of Ayush and the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM).

This initiative aims to promote health through natural practices. This campaign will engage over 4.5 lakh participants, including 1,35,000 students, 20,000 postgraduate students, 18,000 teachers and three lakh practitioners, he added.

"The goal is to enhance public interest in Ayurveda and boost the economic growth," Jadhav stated.

The minister further said the campaign aims to set five Guinness World Records and is aligned with the prime minister's vision of integrating Ayurveda into daily life, encapsulated in the mantra of 'Jan-Jan Tak Ayurveda' 'Har-Ghar Ayurveda'.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that amid the uproar and confusion regarding the paper leak in the National Eligibility-and-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 examination and the sudden postponement of the NEET-PG 2024 examination, the AYUSH students started protesting against the implementation of the National Exit Test (NExT) exam.

BAMS students had opposed the decision to implement the NExT exam for the 2019 batch of BAMS interns. Raising the issue, the AYUSH students under the National Integrated Medical Association Student Forum (NIMASF), Nagpur Branch had written to the AYUSH Minister urging him to defer the NExT exam for the 2019 batch of BAMS Interns.