NEET PG 2024: Lowering the cutoff for NEET PG may temporarily solve the issue of vacant seats, but it raises concerns about the long-term impact on the quality of medical education and healthcare in India.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s (MoHFW) recent decision to reduce the cut percentile for NEET PG 2024 has been met with misery in the medical community. As per the revised norms, for general and EWS categories, candidates will need to score above 15 percentile and for SC, ST, OBC and PwD categories, 10 percentile to participate in the counselling process.
NMC officials say the move is aimed at filling vacant postgraduate seats across the country, but experts are divided on the impact of lowering the threshold. While some see the move as necessary to fill vacant positions, others worry it will undermine the quality of medical education and training.
Dr Shubham Anand, a resident doctor at Delhi’s VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital and national president of Global Association of Indian Medical Students (GAIMS), criticised the move.
He emphasized that an unplanned surge in medical colleges and graduate students in combination with relaxed norms led to inappropriately trained medical graduates.
“There should be a discussion about lowering the NEET PG cut-off. Some may see this as a way to avoid vacancies, but the lack of infrastructure and qualified faculty in many institutions is compromising the quality of medical education,” Dr Anand said.
He warned that poorly trained doctors graduating from these colleges could damage the country’s healthcare system over the next decade. Dr Dhruv Chauhan, national council member of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), acknowledged the need to lower standards but warned of potential misuse by private medical colleges. Seats are sold at high prices and can attract people who are worried about money, not dedicated experts. “He said. He urged the government to investigate why doctor posts were lying vacant and create more job opportunities for doctors.
Increasing the number of medical facilities According to the central government, the number of medical colleges in India is set to increase by 102% from 387 in 2014 to 780 by 2024. Similarly, the number of MBBS seats has increased by 130% from 51,348 to 118,137, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha in December 2024.
Furthermore, from 31,185 in 2014 to 73,157 in 2024, an increase of 135 % of PG sheets was observed. However, this rapid expansion often gives priority to quality, even after several advice cycles, which lead to the rest of the vacant seats.
What do NEET PG candidates look for in a Medical College?
Students are increasingly selective about the location of the hospital, quality of education and clinical exposure they will receive. Many choose not to compromise on these aspects, even if it means leaving seats vacant.
A woman student from Haryana who passed NEET PG in 2024 chose not to register for counselling, as she felt that being allocated a seat in a remote college with limited resources did not make sense. “I wanted to ensure that the quality of education and training during the three years of my career remained uncompromised,” she added.
She serves as a visiting physician at a private hospital in Delhi. Another woman doctor, who passed her PG and has been working in her hometown in Assam, remarked: “Receiving an offer for a position in a distant state with language challenges and limited specialization options was difficult. I opted not to take it, as it would hinder my ability to succeed in my profession and offer quality care to patients.” The swift expansion of available positions has resulted in a supply-demand imbalance, causing many seats in both clinical and non-clinical specialties to remain vacant.
Experts recommend actions including infrastructure enhancement, fee regulation, incentives for non-clinical specialties, routine inspections by the NMC, and ensuring that seat expansion corresponds to the healthcare system’s actual demand and capacity.
Leave feedback about this