There might be some relief on the anvil for NEET PG 2023 aspirants, worried about the cut-off date for the MBBS internship. Official sources from the Union Health Ministry have reportedly told PTI that the ministry has extended the MBBS internship cut-off date to June 30 and an official announcement in this regard is expected soon.
As of now, the cut-off date for aspirants to complete their mandatory one-year internship is March 31, 2023. The Indian Medical Association, student union bodies, prospective candidates and several state authorities urged the ministry to extend the eligibility date to June 30, 2023, since the delay in the start of the academic session due to COVID-19 meant that students in several states were not able to start their internships on time.
Sources told PTI that now it is also being requested by the students and their families that if the MBBS internship completion date is extended then the date of the NEET PG examination should also be postponed. Presently, the NEET PG entrance exam 2023 is scheduled for March 5.
The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) had also sought an extension of the MBBS internship cut-off date, saying the current decision has far-reaching consequences and has left many students facing a bleak future. "This unfortunate decision has rendered a majority of current interns across the country ineligible thereby wiping out the competition and leaving a multitude of others in a state of uncertainty," FORDA had said in a letter to union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
"This is especially devastating for interns in states such as Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and many others who have been altogether disqualified under this new rule as most of the states currently have interns who will attain their completion after the aforementioned date," the letter further said.
FORDA also said that this unexpected implementation has the potential to engender a plethora of mental agony and unrest amongst the students who are already discomposed and frazzled by the already significant delays and challenges afflicting medical education in India.
