News Analysis India

Tag: NEET PG

  • All-India merit list for NEET PG likely by end of week, say officials

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The merit list for the all-India counselling for 50% all-India quota in the NEET PG is set to be released by the end of the next week, sources associated with the Director-General of Health Services said. Results and scorecards were declared on September 28. 

    Officials said that while most states will prepare their own merit list for admission on the basis of the NEET PG merit list and the all-India ranks, the national list will be released separately after which the counselling for admission for all-India seats will be conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee under the DGHS. 

    “We are hoping to release the national list between October 8 and 10,” said a senior official in the Union education ministry. 

    The NEET PG state counselling will be held under the aegis of the respective counselling authorities of the states and all eligible candidates who will apply for state counselling will be included in the respective state merit list. 

    This year, a little over 1.6 lakh doctors appeared in NEET PG for admission into MS, MD and diploma seats in medical colleges.  

    As per rules, while under the all-India quota, admissions are offered in 50 % seats in government colleges of all states except J&K, 100 % seats of central universities, 100 % seats of deemed universities and 50 % seats of colleges under Employee State Insurance Corporation.

    The NEET PG examination saw an unprecedented delay of nearly eight months due to the massive second wave of Covid as the government decided to deploy final-year MBBS students and junior residents for providing services. 

  • Uncertainty over NEET PG exams pushes thousands of doctors across India over edge

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: A delay on the part of the government to decide on NEET PG examinations, deferred by over 7 months this year, has pushed nearly 2 lakh medicine graduates on the edge while also risking the potential crisis of resident doctors in medical colleges across India. 

    There is no clarity yet on when the examination, usually conducted for about 30,000 PG seats in medical colleges in January every year, will be held this year. 

    The examination, conducted by the National Board of Examination under the Union Health Ministry, was first deferred to April because of the Covid pandemic before being pushed further. 

    Later in April, when the devastating second wave of the pandemic hit the country, the government, following a high-level meeting by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the test will not be conducted before August 31, which will allow final year MBBS students and interns to focus on clinical duties. 

    Students will also be given at least one month after the announcement of the exam before it is conducted, the government had said, adding that this will make a large number of qualified doctors available for Covid duties. 

    The idea was to utilise the final year MBBS students and junior residents to provide services such as teleconsultation and monitoring of mild Covid cases after due orientation under faculty supervision. 

    Several junior and senior resident doctors, however, now point out the issues this decision has created. 

    “Thousands of junior doctors had quit their work to prepare for NEET PG but the uncertainty around the examination is causing them immense financial and mental stress,” said Rohan Krishnan, a senior resident with a government hospital in the national capital, 

    He added that as most medical colleges are conducting PG final year examinations, while senior resident batches will move on, there will be no fresh batch of PG doctors who are the backbone of healthcare services in most government tertiary care centres. 

    “It indicates a complete lack of planning and farsightedness on the part of authorities and is highly frustrating for fresh doctors looking to pursue higher degrees.” 

    Manish Jangra, the founder of the Federation of All India Medical Association, said that resident doctors had written to top echelons in the Union government but to no avail so far.

    “We are worried that if Covid cases start rising again, the examination will go indefinitely delayed and will lead to a complete loss of the year for thousands of doctors,” he said.

    He stressed that the government should conduct the examination now when the pandemic situation is somewhat stable.