State firm on opposing NEXT: Vijaya Bhaskar

Replying to a special call attention motion notice of the DMK and other parties, he said the state government was firm in opposing NEXT.

He also pointed out in 2016, the AIADMK MPs opposed the National Medical Commission Bill in Parliament.

Earlier, speaking on the motion, DMK president and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin said the government should take steps to exempt Tamil Nadu from the purview of NEXT.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, he said it would be against the policies of the state and urged the government to stoutly oppose it as it was aimed at snatching away the rights of the state.

Allowing NEXT would lead to Central government controlling the functioning of medical colleges in the state, he added.

Responding, Vijaya Bhaskar said, “The government accept the views of Stalin and that the AIADMK MPs will oppose it in Parliament.”

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the NEXT, which was proposed to streamline the medical education in the country. 

The Union government plans to convert the final year examination of the MBBS course into a licentiate examination, which will also be used for entrance into postgraduate medical courses, and act as a screening test for foreign medical graduates. It will be called the National Exit Test (NEXT).