Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), is one of the most popular and demanded career programs to be chosen by students all around the world.
Being one of the most sought out programs MBBS requires certain admission criteria and eligibilities and even with all those in check the cost to actually complete the course can be pretty hefty. Taking the condition of India into consideration, the competition in the field of education and admissions are pretty high here and students fight their ways into respectable institutions to complete their graduation or post-graduation courses.
Earlier in India, different institutions took donations or extra fees to admit students but after 2016, this has ceased as from there on National Eligibility cum Entrance Test has been mandated to all the students who wish to pursue a career in Medical practicing or as a doctor. NEET has made it a priority that eligible students get admitted in government Medical Colleges to Pursue MBBS. Even private medical colleges in India has to consider the NEET rankings to admit students.
Taking admissions or getting a seat for MBBS in India in a government medical college is the best option as these colleges provide quality education, exposure and experience all in low cost and less expenditure in terms of tuition fee. The plight of private medical colleges is entirely different, almost all private medical colleges in India that offer MBBS course, charges a very hefty sum as fee for the course that would range from about 60-75 lakhs for the whole course, the quality of education provided is pretty poor too.
But to answer the question, according to the new amendment made by the High court of India regarding the admission of Indian students in foreign institutions to pursue MBBS, yes, NEET has been made mandatory.
Any student who wishes to pursue their Med schooling outside India would only be eligible and be able to do so only if he/she has passed the NEET examination conducted by the Medical Council of India. The new amendment came about because of the appeal regarding certain changes made in the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam.
Any student who wishes to pursue his/her MBBS or MD from any abroad universities or colleges should qualify NEET first to be eligible to be admitted in the respective universities or colleges in effect from January 2019.
Government of India, along with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Council of India has made it absolutely impossible for any student who wants to pursue MBBS outside the country to do so without clearing NEET exam.
Only after the NEET exam can any student go abroad to study MBBS except in case of Pakistan where a special letter that proves the eligibility of the student should be submitted to be admitted. Earlier, before December 2018 according the previous amendment by the High court, students who qualified NEET, who appeared and did not qualify NEET and those who did not even appear for the exam all could go abroad to pursue Medicine but not anymore.