New Delhi: The Union Health ministry has approved the Medical Council of India's (MCI) recommendation to amend Medical Council of India Act, 1956, paving the way to decide on the common entrance test format.
The amendments will lay out the direction to hold a nationwide common medical entrance test in all medical colleges, including private colleges and deemed universities, for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Union Health minister J P Nadda has also prepared a draft Cabinet note to be circulated among the other ministries. If the Cabinet approves the proposal, the common entrance may get implemented from this year.
The MCI has informed the government that it could either change the existing examination like the All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) as the common test or introduce a new one, the report mentioned.
Under the current Act, its role is limited to finalising the medical curriculum, while the states and individual colleges can devise their own admission procedures.
The move to have a common entrance test for medical students across the country was first initiated in 2009, when MCI was headed by Dr Ketan Desai.
The Supreme Court had earlier in June 2013 ruled the MCI's notification for holding common entrance test for MBBS, BDS and post-graduate medical courses as 'invalid'.
The Medical Council of India, established in 1934, is the statutory body for setting up uniform and high standards of medical education in the country. The Council grants recognition of medical qualifications, gives accreditation to medical schools, grants registration to medical practitioners, and monitors medical practice in India.
