News Analysis India

Tag: NEET PG

  • NEET PG 2023: Internership cut-off date deadline extended to August 11, MDS till June 30

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday extended the cut-off date for MBBS aspirants to complete their mandatory one-year internship from June 30 to August 11.

    This is the second time the ministry has extended the internship cut-off date.

    Earlier, on January 13, the cut-off date was extended from March 31 to June 30 by the National Board of Examinations for Medical Sciences (NBEMS) for the purpose of applying for the NEET PG-2023 examination.

    In a tweet, the ministry said, “Considering the future of more than 13,000 MBBS students across 5 States/UTs who were not eligible for #NEET PG 2023 exam due to delayed internship, MoHFW has decided to extend last date of completion of an internship for eligibility to 11th Aug 2023.”

    Apart from the NEET PG2023 internship cut-off deadline extension, the ministry also extended the internship eligibility date for NEET MDS 2023 to June 30, 2023.

    “More than 3000 BDS students across States/UTs were not eligible for #NEET MDS 2023 exam due to the delayed internship. To benefit them, MoHFW has decided to extend the last date of completion of the internship for eligibility to 30th June 2023. Wishing all candidates the very best,” the tweet said.

    However, the ministry has only announced revised NEET eligibility criteria and not the exam date.

    NEET PG 2023 is scheduled for March 5. 

    ALSO READ | KNUHS MBBS interns seek deferment of NEET PG exam

    Despite a series of protests, including social media campaigns, by NEET PG aspirants and several doctors’ associations to postpone the exams, the government has not relented.

    On Tuesday, NEET-PG aspirants and many doctors’ associations protested at Jantar Mantar demanding the postponement of the exams.

    According to Dr Rohan Krishnan, National Chairman, of FAIMA Doctors Association, the students want an extension of the exam by two to three weeks to reduce the gap between the result declaration and the counselling process.

    “We want the exam to be postponed to May-June,” he said.

    As per the National Board of Examinations, the NEET PG 2023 results will be out by March 31, and counselling will begin in July 2023.

    FAIMA had earlier written to the Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, saying that 10,000 NEET PG aspirants will be ineligible for the exams. Following this, the internship deadline was extended to June 30.

    In a circular on Tuesday, NBEMS said, “In continuation of NBEMS notice dated January 13 and pursuant to the directions of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare… the cut-off date for completion of an internship for the purpose of eligibility for NEET-PG 2023 has been further extended to August 11.”

    The notice added that the students completing their mandatory internship from July 1 to August 11 are now eligible to apply to take the exam. They can fill out the forms which will be released on February 9 to February 12, provided that they fulfil all other eligibility criteria. 

    NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Post Graduate) is a national-level entrance exam for admission to postgraduate medical courses such as MS, MD, and PG Diploma courses. 

    NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday extended the cut-off date for MBBS aspirants to complete their mandatory one-year internship from June 30 to August 11.

    This is the second time the ministry has extended the internship cut-off date.

    Earlier, on January 13, the cut-off date was extended from March 31 to June 30 by the National Board of Examinations for Medical Sciences (NBEMS) for the purpose of applying for the NEET PG-2023 examination.

    In a tweet, the ministry said, “Considering the future of more than 13,000 MBBS students across 5 States/UTs who were not eligible for #NEET PG 2023 exam due to delayed internship, MoHFW has decided to extend last date of completion of an internship for eligibility to 11th Aug 2023.”

    Apart from the NEET PG2023 internship cut-off deadline extension, the ministry also extended the internship eligibility date for NEET MDS 2023 to June 30, 2023.

    “More than 3000 BDS students across States/UTs were not eligible for #NEET MDS 2023 exam due to the delayed internship. To benefit them, MoHFW has decided to extend the last date of completion of the internship for eligibility to 30th June 2023. Wishing all candidates the very best,” the tweet said.

    However, the ministry has only announced revised NEET eligibility criteria and not the exam date.

    NEET PG 2023 is scheduled for March 5. 

    ALSO READ | KNUHS MBBS interns seek deferment of NEET PG exam

    Despite a series of protests, including social media campaigns, by NEET PG aspirants and several doctors’ associations to postpone the exams, the government has not relented.

    On Tuesday, NEET-PG aspirants and many doctors’ associations protested at Jantar Mantar demanding the postponement of the exams.

    According to Dr Rohan Krishnan, National Chairman, of FAIMA Doctors Association, the students want an extension of the exam by two to three weeks to reduce the gap between the result declaration and the counselling process.

    “We want the exam to be postponed to May-June,” he said.

    As per the National Board of Examinations, the NEET PG 2023 results will be out by March 31, and counselling will begin in July 2023.

    FAIMA had earlier written to the Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, saying that 10,000 NEET PG aspirants will be ineligible for the exams. Following this, the internship deadline was extended to June 30.

    In a circular on Tuesday, NBEMS said, “In continuation of NBEMS notice dated January 13 and pursuant to the directions of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare… the cut-off date for completion of an internship for the purpose of eligibility for NEET-PG 2023 has been further extended to August 11.”

    The notice added that the students completing their mandatory internship from July 1 to August 11 are now eligible to apply to take the exam. They can fill out the forms which will be released on February 9 to February 12, provided that they fulfil all other eligibility criteria. 

    NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Post Graduate) is a national-level entrance exam for admission to postgraduate medical courses such as MS, MD, and PG Diploma courses. 

  • SC to hear on May 13 plea for postponement of NEET-PG 2022 examination

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on May 13 a plea of doctors seeking postponement of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2022 which is scheduled to be held on May 21 on the ground that it will clash with the ongoing counselling for NEET-PG 2021.

    A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and PS Narasimha said that it will hear the matter which is already listed for hearing on Friday after senior advocate Rakesh Khanna mentioned for urgent listing of the petition.

    The bench asked Khanna whether the petitioners want postponement of the examination to which he replied in affirmative.

    Justice Chandrachud said, “How can we postpone a national examination? Anyway we will hear it next week”.

    Khanna said that the matter is already listed for Friday to which the bench said then it will hear it on May 13.

    The plea filed through advocates Ashutosh Dubey and Abhishek Chauhan said, “The petitioners are the doctors who are doing their requisite internship with different hospitals across the country.

    The petitioners aspire to appear in NEET-PG examination 2022 scheduled to be held on May 21 for the purpose of choosing their career option as per their ranking, choice, and available options to them under different branches of medical science for Post-Graduation Courses”.

    The plea sought direction to quash the notification dated February 4 issued by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences for holding the NEET PG-2022 examination on May 21 and or defer the scheduled date of the examination.

    It said that some of the petitioners and aspirants are the candidates who have appeared in NEET-PG 2021 and are participants in the ongoing counselling process which is unlikely to get concluded by May 9, 2022, considering the roller-coaster ride which they have been subjected to since July 2021.

    “The petitioners and other thousands of aspirants are becoming victims of the system and are made to suffer for no fault of their own”, the plea said, which has been filed by 15 doctors who have done their MBBS courses.

    The plea said it raises substantial and important questions of law like as to why should NEET-PG 2022 aspirants/candidates be made to suffer and not be given a fair opportunity for participation in the NEET-PG examination 2022 when the counselling of last academic year NEET-PG 2021 is still undergoing and likely to be over by May 9.

    It further raised the question of whether the petitioners can be deprived of even filling up forms for the NEET-PG examination 2022, as the last date for it was closed on March 25 and the petitioners being participants in AIQ Mop-UP counselling did not fill out a form than in the hope of getting the seat and now after the cancellation of AIQ Mop-UP on March 31 because of the fault of the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and others.

    It said that the petitioners are now not even allowed to fill forms for the NEET-PG examination and thus the candidates neither got the seat in 2021 examination counselling nor could register for NEET-PG 2022 examination and would be wasting a full year without their fault.

    The plea raised several other substantial questions of law.

    It said, “Thus it is stated that the present petition is filed with an intention to secure the future of the petitioners allowing them to excel in the educational sphere of their life.

    It is submitted that NEET-PG 2022 aspirants/candidates should not be made to suffer and be given a fair opportunity to participate in the NEET-PG examination 2022 when the counselling of last year’s NEET-PG 2021 is still undergoing and likely to be over by May 9”.

    The plea further said that there was a delay in conducting the NEET-PG 2021 examination to ensure the availability of a larger number of qualified doctors for COVID duties and the examination was finally conducted in September 2021, five months after the scheduled date, resultantly because of this delay, the candidates have practically lost a year of their careers.

    “That the respondents have erred in not considering that the NEET-PG 2022 examination was rescheduled from March 12, 2022, to that of May 21, 2022, as the counselling of NEET-PG 2021 was not over and overlapping with the examination date”, it said.

    The plea sought MCC to notify a fresh date of examination for NEET-PG 2022 after eight weeks so that the issue of counselling for the NEET-PG 2021 examination gets settled and there is no overlap with NEET-PG 2022 examination.

    It also sought direction to MCC and Centre to permit the students/aspirants to register themselves for the NEET-PG 2022 examination as they were participating in counselling for NEET-PG 2021 examination and the last date of filling the form was of March 25.

  • Medical aspirants urge PM Narendra Modi for postponing NEET PG 2022 exam

    By PTI

    NOIDA: Over 15,000 National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) 2022 aspirants on Friday submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that the upcoming post graduate examination be postponed, education rights group said.

    The NEET PG 2022 is scheduled for May 21 and the memorandum has come from students across the country, including the Delhi-National Capital Region, through various groups and associations, they said.

    The development came even as a medical students’ association moved the Supreme Court on Thursday for postponement of the examination citing its clash with the ongoing counselling for NEET PG 2021.

    “We 15,000 aspirants writing on behalf of majority of NEET PG aspirants suffering due to the ongoing counselling and upcoming NEET PG 2022 exam scheduled on 21 May,2022. We would like to bring it to your notice regarding the issues faced by the aspirants who are unable to appear for the upcoming medical post-graduation entrance exam NEET PG 2022,” the memorandum stated.

    “The counselling process conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) for NEET PG 2021 has been made null and void seven times. As per latest notification from MCC, May 7 is the last date for the admission into PG courses. But, the registration for NEET PG 2022 was closed on March 25, 2022,” it stated.

    The memorandum noted that with the “uncertainty of the counselling process” more than “50,000 aspirants couldn’t even apply for the exam”.

    “The uncertainty related to the counselling process has brought the students in dilemma about proper conduction of counselling and the date when it will be finished,” it added.

    In the memorandum, submitted at the prime minister’s office (PMO), New Delhi, the aspirants also cited confusion due to the suddenness of the notification and stress because of it ahead of the crucial examination as they urged that the examination be postponed for eight to 10 weeks.

    “We request you to give us appointment to a delegation of 5 NEET PG aspirants so that we can put the genuine demands in front of you. As you requested all the final year medicos to serve the nation during COVID-19 crisis, we have done that as desired by you in the larger interest of the nation. Now, we request you to sympathetically consider our demands and serve us justice,” it stated.

    The aspirants were represented through groups like Federation of All India Medical Association, United Doctors Front Association, All India Medical Students’ Association, and NCR Parents’ Association, among others.

    Separately, NCR Parents’ Association president Sukhpal Singh Toor said around 70 people have taken Delhi Police’s permission for a “peaceful protest” at the Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Sunday over the issue.

    “This protest will not cause any obstruction to traffic or the movement of pedestrians. This protest is totally apolitical,” Toor said.

  • Medical students’ association to approach Supreme Court for postponing NEET PG exam

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: A medical students’ association will approach the Supreme Court on May 4 for postponing NEET PG 2022 exam as the counseling process for 2021 is not yet over, even as other medical bodies urged the union health minister to defer the exam till July.

    According to All India Medical Students’ Association national president Dr. Jitendra Singh the association will be filing a petition on May 4 on postponing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-PG) 2022.

    “We request all medical associations to join in this fight for justice for medical students,” he tweeted.

    In a separate letter to the union health ministry, the association said the counseling for NEET PG 2021 is still in progress, but the NEET PG 2022 exam is scheduled for May 3.

    Requesting for a postponement of the exam, the association said that this will help smoothly conduct the counseling and will thus solve the problems faced by the aspirants.

    The NEET PG counseling of 2021 will get over by May 3, which will then be followed by state counseling, which will get over by May end, the aspirants told this newspaper.

    The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) also wrote to the Union Health Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, urging him to postpone the NEET PG 2022 exam from May to July.

    “Justice can be served to these hard-working candidates, who formed the main support system of the country during the Covid-19 crisis and provided their best efforts to ensure the safety of the citizens,” the letter said.

    In an online poll conducted by FAIMA, over 85 percent voted for postponing the exams slated for May 21. One and a half lakh MBBS students take the NEET PG 2022 exam.

    The Resident Doctors’ Association of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital also requested the health minister to look into the matter urgently. “Kindly put an end to this suffering of NEET PG aspirants,” they tweeted.

    India has about 38,000 post-graduate seats for about 78,000 MBBS graduates. There are 50 percent All India quota seats, and the remaining 50 percent are the state quota seats, which offer 19,000 MD/MS seats.

  • SC notes Centre’s decision to reduce 15 percentile marks for admission to NEET-PG, disposes of plea

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court noted on Monday that a decision has been taken by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that there shall be a reduction across all categories of 15 percentile for admission to the NEET-PG courses and disposed of a plea seeking reduction of cut-off marks.

    A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant said the petition which has been instituted by the doctors stands disposed of as they would be able to secure admissions and their grievances would be addressed.

    It noted, “By a communication of the Union government dated March 12, 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided in consultation with the National Medical Commission that there shall be a reduction across all categories of 15 percentile for admission to the NEET PG courses. Thus, for the general category the cut-off percentile is 35, for the physically handicapped general category 30 and for the reserved SC/ST 25.”

    The bench said that in the event the petitioners still have any subsisting grievance, “we grant them liberty to adopt appropriate proceedings in accordance with law, including by applying for revival of present proceedings. Hence, the petition is disposed of, at the present stage, reserving liberty to the petitioners, as noted above.”

    At the outset, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners who are MBBS doctors, said that the counselling is ending on March 30 and now they have reduced the cut-off marks. He submitted that last year also cut-off marks were reduced but 7000 seats went vacant.

    Bhushan said a representation is pending that there should not be no cut-off marks and court may direct for appropriate consideration of the representation.

    Advocate Gaurav Sharma said that PG seats which normally go vacant are those seats which are mostly related to academic studies.

    The bench then asked Sharma to produce the notification passed with regard to reduction of cut-off marks and passed the order.

  • Reduce NEET-PG cut-off by 15 percentile to fill up vacant seats: Govt

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Saturday directed the National Board of Examinations (NBE) to reduce the cut-off by 15 percentile across all categories for NEET-PG 2021 to fill up vacant postgraduate medical seats in the country.

    In a letter to NBE Executive Director Minu Bajpai, member secretary of the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), B Srinivas said, “After due discussion and deliberations, it has been decided by the Health Ministry in consultation with NMC to reduce the cut-off by 15 percentile across all categories, i.e. the qualifying percentile for a general category may be reduced to 35th percentile, for PH (Genl) to 30th percentile and reserved category (SC/ST/OBC) be reduced to 25th percentile.”

    “In view of the above, you are requested to kindly declare the revised result and send the revised result data of the newly eligible candidates to the office of the undersigned at the earliest,” Srinivas said. 

    The decision was taken in consultation with the National Medical Commission (NMC). There are over 8,000 seats, which remain vacant, even after two rounds of all India and two rounds of state quota counselling.

    The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) is conducted for postgraduate medical courses.

    The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), which had earlier flagged the issue with the ministry, welcomed the government move saying the decision would help fill up all the vacant seats.

    FAIMA president Dr Rohan Krishnan said, “This year, due to Covid, the examination was delayed twice. The counselling process was also delayed because of Covid and a court case. This is the admission of the 2021 batch, which is happening in 2022, and still, thousands of seats are vacant. The cut-off was very high this year, and the medical exam’s competitiveness is very tough. Reducing the cut-off does not mean that we are reducing the merit criteria. This was a need of the hour.”

    Earlier, the NMC had removed the upper age limit for those appearing in NEET-UG 2022 exam. 

  • NEET-PG 2022 to be held on May 21: NBEMS

    The NEET-PG 2022 shall now be conducted on May 21 from 9 am to 12.30 pm, the notice issued by the NBEMS on Friday read.

  • All who appeared in NEET-PG exam be allowed in mop-up counselling, stray vacancy round, says IMA

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  The Indian Medical Association has requested Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to allow all candidates who appeared in the NEET-PG exam to participate in the mop-up counselling and stray vacancy round without any cut-off constraints.

    These candidates have otherwise passed their graduation exams and thus fulfil the basic eligibility criteria, the IMA said.

    In a letter on Thursday, it said the country is passing through a grave medical emergency and cannot afford any vacancies in any medical field.

    According to available data, many post-graduate seats go vacant every year as per data available because enough candidates above the cut-off do not opt for them, the doctor’s body said.

    Seats remain vacant even in prestigious government colleges in the para-clinical and basic subjects, it claimed.

    “One must see that they have worked in COVID pandemic as interns, junior residents and other capacity and are registered medical graduates.

    Also, they are to undergo vigorous training and have to pass a final MD/MS exam before being awarded a degree.

    “India needs a lot of specialist doctors and one must understand that no seat should remain vacant when aspiring candidates are waiting to take admission but could not due to eligibility bar,” the IMA said.

    The doctor’s body said challenging times need innovative measures.

    “It is thus requested that the condition of cut-off be waived and the admission be offered to all otherwise eligible candidates using NEET rankings.

    This can be considered as a one-time measure for this year considering the pandemic.

    “It would be really criminal if all post-graduation seats are not filled even in an emergency situation.

    This is a humble request from the Indian Medical Association to increase the workforce of available doctors,” it said.

  • NEET-PG counselling delay: Maharashtra resident doctors call off strike

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Resident doctors in Maharashtra, who were on strike to seek a resolution of the NEET-PG counselling delay and other issues, called off their protest on Tuesday after a “fruitful” meeting with the state medical education and research director, a representative of the resident doctors said.

    Thousands of resident doctors in the state had gone on their strike on Friday, demanding recruitment of non-academic junior resident doctors equal to the number of residents in colleges.

    In some of the medical colleges in Mumbai, they were on strike since last Thursday.

    In a statement issued late Monday evening, Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) president Avinash Dahiphale said the recruitment of house officers/medical officers in all government/corporation medical colleges and hospitals as per requirement in the view of delay in NEET-PG counselling has been addressed.

    The “runanubandh bhatta” (allowance) will be released soon for the remaining medical colleges, he said.

    Irregularities pertaining to stipend at few medical medical colleges will also be addressed soon, he said, after a virtual meeting with the state medical education and research director on Monday.

    The demand of NEET-PG state counselling is not under power of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), hence it will be addressed after directions from the national medical counselling committee, he said.

    “So, as our three out of four demands are met and considering the sharp rise in the number of Omicron cases in the state, the Central MARD committee has decided to call off the strike and resume duties,” Dahiphale said.

    Resident doctors in Delhi, who had also been protesting against the delay in NEET-PG counselling for about two weeks, called off their strike on Friday and resumed services after receiving assurances from the government that their demands would be looked into, their federation earlier said.

  • Centre to retain Rs 8 lakh income criteria for determining EWS in NEET-PG Counseling 

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Sunday informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to accept the recommendation of a three-member panel to retain the current gross annual family income limit for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of Rs 8 lakh or less. The affidavit filed was related to admissions for NEET-PG. 

    The government said that the panel recommendation viewed family income as a “feasible criterion” and a threshold of Rs 8 lakh of annual family income seemed reasonable for determining EWS.

    “I respectfully submit that the central government has decided to accept the recommendations of the committee, including the recommendation of applying the new criteria prospectively,” Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, R Subrahmanyam, who filed the affidavit on behalf of the Centre, told the top court.

    The Centre informed that the panel has recommended that “only those families whose annual income is up to Rs 8 lakh would be eligible to get the benefit of EWS reservation”.

    The three-member committee constituted on November 30 last year by the government comprised of Ajay Bhushan Pandey, former finance secretary, VK Malhotra, member secretary, ICSSR, and Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Adviser to Centre. The government had assured the Apex court to review the criteria for determining EWS.

    The committee submitted its report to the Centre on December 31 last year. The delay in the NEET-PG 2021 counseling had led to wide scale protest by a large number of resident doctors under the banner of the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) in Delhi and other parts of the country.