Medicos want proposed exit exams to be shown the door

The proposal has come in the wake of concerns about the quality of doctors being produced across the country. The exit exams, to be applicable for both government and private colleges, are said to be a huge reform in the medical field, with the aim of assessing if students are good enough to practice. 

However, doctors and experts from the field have expressed doubts over the efficacy of the measure. Dr JA Jayalal, vice-president, TN Medical Council says that contrary to the intention of creating quality doctors, the proposal focuses merely on a controlled assessment. “It is the college’s prerogative to consistently emphasise on the quality and this should be done throughout the course of education. In fact, this is a factory-based approach, which leaves out the formative aspect of education,” he says.

Adding that the state produces 11 per cent of the total doctors in the country each year, Dr Jayalal says that one exam cannot be applied across states. “There are health issues restricted to each state. How do we expect a Tamil Nadu MBBS student to know about kala-azar, which is more relevant to Bihar?” he asks. 

Others have questioned the time when the exams would be held. Dr GR Ravindranath, General Secretary, Doctors Association for Social Equality, says that whenever the exams are to be held, it will leave students with insufficient time for preparation. “If it is going to be after the house surgeon period, how will they prepare for it when they are working as house surgeons? There are also talks of taking a portion of the marks scored in the exam for PG entrance. That again is unfair--- entrance tests have to be objective,” he says. 

He also feels that rather than exit exams, continuing medical education and on-ground experience will determine quality. Similarly, the state chapter of IMA, has said that rather than theory, the emphasis should be on practical knowledge. Dr S Damodharan, state president-IMA, Tamil Nadu, says, “MBBS students are given hands- on training by senior doctors in the field. So, what is the purpose of this exam?”, he wonders.