Union Minister of State for Ayush (Independent Charge) Prataprao Jadhav on Thursday announced that the National Exit Test (NExT) for Ayush will be effective from 2021-2022 batch onwards.
Speaking to the media in New Delhi, the minister said the decision was taken on the recommendation of the committee setup in this regard to review the concerns of students in this matter. The committee recommends that the NExT will be applied to students enrolled in the 2021-22 academic session under the NCISM and NCH Acts, 2020, removing any ambiguity in its implementation.
The committee was presided by Vice Chancellor National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur Prof. Sanjeev Sharma who was responsible for review of the suggestions from students and submitting the recommendations to the ministry.
The test is mandatory for licensing and enrollment in 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.
Those interns who have not completed their internship but qualified in the National Exit Test (Next) shall be eligible to register in state or national registration board only after completion of one year internship.
This announcement has been made following several representations from students of Ayush stream regarding the implementation of NeXT and a meeting with the Union Minister of State (IC) for Ayush was held with some representatives of the students of BAMS/BHMS regarding the discussion on the issue of NeXT exam of NCISM & 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 11th June, 2021 and 5th July, 2021 respectively. The National Exit Test (NeXT) 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.
The minister stated that the aim of the government 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 introduced a nationwide campaign named “Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyan” focused on health and wellbeing of all citizens. He added 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 3 lakh practitioners. The goal is to enhance public interest in Ayurveda and boost the economic growth, he added.
The Union Minister further added that the campaign aims to set five Guinness World Records and is aligned with Prime Minister’s vision of integrating Ayurveda into daily life, encapsulated in the mantra of ‘Jan-Jan Tak Ayurveda’ ‘Har-Ghar Ayurveda’.
