Amid NEET Row, Close Watch On Another Medical Exam Being Held Today

New Delhi:

Amid a row over the NEET exam, another medical exam is being held under close watch of the security and home ministry officials. The health ministry in a statement said that the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) 2024 has begun smoothly across the nation and no untoward incident has been reported yet.

A command centre to monitor the exam has been set up at the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) headquarters in Delhi.

“The content was successfully downloaded at all test centres. The examination started at all examination centres smoothly. A team of officers from MHA has visited NBEMS HQ. No untoward incident has been reported,” an official said.

The FMGE is a screening test for medical graduates to become eligible to practice medicine in the country. It is being held at 71 centres in 50 cities across 21 states. The exam will be held on two shifts — 9 am to 11.30 am and 2 pm to 4.30 pm.

A controversy erupted after 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720 in the NEET-UG exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) attributed this to the awarding of grace marks due to a faulty question and logistical delays in paper distribution at some centres. However, a probe by Bihar police revealed that the exam paper had been leaked to a select few candidates.

The NEET-UG examination, taken by nearly 24 lakh aspiring medical students, was held on May 5, and results were expedited for early release on June 4. Despite the NTA’s attempts to manage the fallout, accusations of a widespread leak persisted, prompting protests and legal actions nationwide. The Supreme Court also intervened, chastising the NTA for its handling of the matter.

As a countermeasure, the FMGE examination is being held under tight security and is being closely monitored by the Centre.

Officials have appointed 255 appraisers across 71 centres, with 53 faculty members serving as a flying squad. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has designated 71 members to visit exam centres. Additionally, 42 NBEMS staff are stationed at the centres, where 35,819 candidates are scheduled to take exams on Saturday.

A command centre has been established at NBEMS headquarters in Dwarka. It is overseeing the examination’s progress with members of the governing body, NBEMS officials, a technical team of 20 TCS officials, and senior police officers.

Live CCTV feeds are monitoring each test centre, while TCS ground teams are resolving operational and logistical issues onsite.