NEET-MDS 2024: June 30 is the new deadline for internships; the test schedule remains same

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on Thursday extended the deadline for internship completion to June 30 in response to demands from students, medical associations, and political representatives to postpone the NEET-MDS examinations. The exam, however, will still take place on March 18, as originally planned.

Candidates who finish their internships between April 1 and June 30 of this year are eligible to register for the test, according to NBEMS.

“As of March 9th, candidates may submit their online applications for NEET-MDS 2024. The deadline for submitting applications is March 11 at 11:55 p.m. On the official website, natboard.edu.in, interested and qualified applicants may submit their NEET MDS 2024 application form. Applicants may choose the state or city in which they will take the exam. According to what is available, NBEMS will choose a test city in the designated state or a neighboring state.

The medical groups are still requesting a postponement of the test from Union Health Minister Mansukh Madaviya.

The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) expressed gratitude on X by posting, “We appreciate @mansukhmandviya ji for extending the deadline for qualifying.” It would have been preferable, however, if students had been given additional time to study and the tests had been postponed until July. We continue to ask that the test date be reevaluated.

Mandaviya had received a letter from the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) requesting a postponement of the test.

According to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, a number of NEET MDS 2024 applicants have contacted him because they are quite distressed over the present test schedule for the exam, which disqualifies a large number of students.

Dozens of our talented medical students have reached out to me, expressing their extreme anxiety about the NEET MDS test date of March 18, which disqualifies thousands of MDS interns (those from the 2018 class affected by COVID-19). There has been no new date for the test despite a SC order requesting that the government look into the situation compassionately. His letter on the X platform says, “I fervently implore the government to expeditiously postpone the exam to a later date, and protect the future of our aspiring doctors.”

Previously, applications were open to students whose internships ended on March 31. This made more than 8,000 interns nationwide unable to take the test. The pandemic, according to the 2018 batch students who were scheduled to sit the NEET-MDS test, caused a delay in their internships.