NEET compulsory for AYUSH courses admissions: SC

According to the judgment, Ayurvedic, Unani and Homeopathy doctors also treat patients and lack of minimum standard of education will generate half-baked doctors out of professional colleges.

All India National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will now apply for all undergraduate courses in AYUSH. According to the rule generated by the Supreme Court recently, NEET will be applicable for courses like Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy.

All the concerned universities were instructed by the Ministry of Ayush to enroll students in undergraduate courses of Ayush only on the basis of NEET score for the academic year 2018-19. The enrollment process was supposed to be done following the existing rules and reservation policies of the respective state government.

The validity of a notification issued by the Central Council of Indian Medicine (Minimum Standards of Education Indian Medicine) Regulations 1986, amended in 2018, was considered by the SC.

According to the regulation issued in 2018, a uniform entrance examination shall be there to get admission to undergraduate courses in medicine – BUMS, BAMS, BSMS and BHMS.

The AYUSH colleges challenged the notification before the Panjab and Haryana High Court and enrolled students in the institutes based on High Court’s interim orders. The challenge was later dismissed by the HC in December 2019.

The Bench comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice L Nageswara Rao expressed that the minimum standard must not be lowered even for AYUSH courses. A minimum percentile requirement must be there to take admission in undergraduate courses.

According to the judgment, Ayurvedic, Unani and Homeopathy doctors also treat patients and lack of minimum standard of education will generate half-baked doctors out of professional colleges. The admission standards must not be lowered under any circumstances. Non-availability of eligible candidates for admission to AYUSH Undergraduate courses must not be the reason to alter admission standards prescribed by the Central Council for admission.

Read More: