NEET PG Controversy Highlights Incompetency of NBE, Health Ministry: FAIMA President
In an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com, the President of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), Rohan Krishnan, shared his insights on the NEET PG controversy, problems faced by medical students in India and other major highlights that need to be addressed urgently. Read the excerpts below…
Q: What's your intake regarding the ongoing NEET PG controversy?
A: See, the controversy which is going on in NEET PG is a controversy created by the mismanagement of the National Board of Examination and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Every year NEET PG examination has become chaos, and there are some things which are going wrong with it in the management as well as the planning of the examination. Earlier, NEET PG was postponed and there were rumours of questions being leaked.
Due to this, the examination was under the scanner for various kinds of paper leaks and other scams. These things have been seen from past three-four years, that during the conduction of the examination, there is always a problem in the proper maintenance of the timetable. There are problems with the allotment of the centre also sometimes there are problems in the question pattern.
Q: What steps the exam conducting body must take to restore the faith of medical students?
A: The National Medical Council is giving permission to run Medical Colleges. In today's era, the National Medical Commission has become a den of immorality. They don't care whether you have faculty or not. They don't care whether teaching is going on or not. And there comes the playing field for the coaching centres. It was never heard ten years back, that doctors will need coaching to crack the PG examination. And now, if you see, I think more than 80% of the students who are pursuing MBBS are taking coaching. So it is because the National Medical Commission has failed in the knowledge aspect which needs the maximum attention at the earliest.
Q: Is the Time-bound section in NEET PG favourable for aspirants?
A: I don't think that it is favourable for the students. The whole purpose of doctors is to treat the patient. The whole purpose of this examination, and every system which is happening by the National Board of Examination, be it the DNB examination or anything. It is not a process of rejection. It is a process of selection. We are absorbing the waste of the West. The authorities do some nonsense and expect that everybody should clap, which is not going to happen. And when we don't clap, we are considered an anti-national body or anti-government. That is not the fact. The fact is that you will get applause and clapping when you do things which are which deserve applause.
Q: How to study effectively to score good rank in NEET PG exam?
Before starting NEET PG preparation, candidates need to have plan and strategies in place. Effective time management is crucial for the preparation. First of all take stock of the situation where actually you stand in terms of preparation. You should ask yourself following questions:
- Which are the topics your are confident at
- Which are the subjects which needs more attention
- Which are the subjects where you need to start from scratch
- What are your srength and weakness
These are some of the prembles of your preparation strategies. Following after make daily schedule allocating specific time for each subject. Try to cover those subjects first where you feel confident of scoring well. Try to finish syllabus at least a month before exam.
Q: Which part is difficult in NEET PG syllabus?
As such no section is easy in NEET PG syllabus. Some candidates may find clinical section easy while others may perceive para clinical as difficult. In reality, all the three sections clinical pre and para clinical are equally difficult and candidates have to devote good amount of time to prepare in and out of every subjects. It must be noted, a good number of questions are clinical based, so this section holds huge importance.
Some topics of pre and para clinical are utmost important as lots of questions are from them. Point is candidates should prepare all three sections in such manner so that 90 percent questions can be answered easily. Last year, clinical section was difficult in comparision to other two sections.
Q: How much time is sufficient for NEET PG preparation?
This depends on a number of factors. Preparation time may vary from candidate to candidate as per their individual ability. On an average candidates should have 3-5 months to give their best shot at NEET PG. Out of 5 months preparation time, 2 months can be dedicated for topic preparation, 1 months for revision and rest for mock test and practising sample papers. Candidates should plan in such a way so that lengthy and difficult subjects can be covered within 1-2 weeks while easy and short subjects to be covered in 3-5 days.
Q: Was NEET PG 2024 question paper difficult?
NEET PG 2024 question paper was difficult as compared to last year. The overall difficulty level of the question paper was moderate to difficult. More than 80 pecent questions were based on clinical scenerio. A good number of questions were asked from topics such as Surgury, Gynaecology (OBS GYNE) and other topics. 160-170 questions were easy to attempt.
Q: How do I prepare for NEET PG exam?
NEET PG is a national level entrance test through which the admission is offered into post-graduate medical courses. Being the national level entrance test, the exam is not an easy nut to crack. Applicants will have to study and know the syllabus well in order to do well in the entrance examination. In the article below some important tips and tricks are being provided to the candidates preparing for the NEET PG. Following are some points which can be kept in mind- 1. Don’t spend too much time on medicine as there are just 21 MCQs from there. 2. The first and second part subjects are probably more important as most people don’t study them. 3. Give online tests; virtually wherever you find a chance. 4. Keep your mind cool on the day of the exam! Be rest assured that you will clear the exam if you have worked hard for it. 5. Do not just mug up guide books' answers.
Q: How do you see the future of medical education in the next five years?
A: The future of medical education is going to be very difficult for doctors. And I always say that the doctor-patient relationship is a symbiotic relationship. A symbiotic relationship means that when one thing will go up, the other thing will also go up, respectively.
After five years, we will have graduates who have an MBBS degree, but who are actually preparing for post-graduation and have no training, having no general physician, all that concept will be lost, and it will lead to a lesser number of good doctors and more number of incompetent doctors. We have to understand that we don't need a large number of doctors. What we need is competent doctors. What we need is better healthcare facilities. I think that the healthcare structure of the nation is grumbling at this point.
Q: Why students are preferring to study abroad lately?
A: There are a lot of factors in that, when you examine that, why students are going abroad. Firstly, Duty hours are well defined in abroad, and they don't have to work that much as you have to work in a Government sector in India. Work-life balance is being maintained abroad. Secondly, the pay scale. If you compare the payment, payment, which is being received by doctors today, it has declined. Third, there are better tax benefits for doctors abroad. So overall, there's a better education system over there.
Q: What steps can be taken to prevent students from going abroad for medical education?
A: The government must take ownership and open its eyes to points highlighted by stakeholders. For reference, opening “n number” of medical colleges to private medical colleges without proper teaching and faculty would negatively affect the future of students.
NMC has not conducted instruction of medical colleges since after COVID. They are giving just by showing the videos, and they are giving permission. Some medical colleges often offer bribes to the approval commission, which should also be taken seriously. Besides, if any organization is headed for the government, then necessary steps shall be taken immediately. Because I don't believe that everybody is corrupt. But I do believe that if a system is corrupt, it needs to be changed.
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Mayank Uniyal is a seasoned academic content creator at shiksha.com. Having a master's degree in International Business, he is creating content across several domains including CUET, Medicine and Universities. Apart... Read Full Bio
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