NDC Draft Bill To Propose Exit Exam for All UG Dental Graduates
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released a communique announcing the finalising process for the draft National Dental Commission Bill 2020. The Bill has been aimed at a compulsory exit exam for all BDS or UG Dental graduates in India and abroad.
As per the proposed National Dental Commission Bill 2020, all BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) graduates will be required to sit for an exit exam, in order to be qualified to practice Dentistry or even pursue higher education, i.e. MDS (Master of Dental Surgery).
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released an announcement, requested the General Public to send in their comments and suggestion regarding the Draft Bill by 20th Feb 2020. The Draft Bill had been proposed and worked upon by the Ministry and has been aimed at withdrawing the Dentists Act 1948.
The announcement stated that that the Ministry is on the process of finalising the NDC Bill 2020 for the establishment of the National Dental Commission, while also nullifying the Dentists Act 1948.
According to the Draft Bill, all UG students who have graduated from a BDS college in India will be required to sit the exit exam, aptly named as National Exit Test or NEXT. The exit exam is similar to the one proposed for MBBS exit exam.
The exit exam, NEXT has been designed as a screening test to qualify BDS graduates for MDS programmes in India along with qualifying them a licence and allow them to practice their craft across the nation.
The Draft Bill states that NEXT for Dental aspirants will be functional within three years of the date of initiation of the Act. The date will be specified by the Government of India through a notification.
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It further adds that NEXT will also be applicable to those candidates who have completed their BDS or UG dental degree from an international institution. The draft reads that such candidates will be asked qualify NEXT in order to obtain a licence to practice their craft along with the purpose of being enrolled in the State Register or National Register.
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Along with the exit examination, the Dental Commission Bill also proposes the establishment of four new autonomous boards, viz. The Undergraduate Dental Education Board, The Postgraduate Dental Education Board, The Dental Assessment & Rating Board and The Ethics and Dental Registration Board. According to the draft, the Boards will each employ a President with 2 full-time members and 2 part-time members.