homeeducation NewsNo qualifying percentile for NEET PG 2023 counselling, says new govt order; medicos divided
No qualifying percentile for NEET PG 2023 counselling, says new govt order; medicos divided
The Health Ministry has eliminated the qualifying percentile requirement for vacant postgraduate (PG) medical college seats, a move that has received both praise and criticism from the medical fraternity. While the move is aimed at filling all vacant seats, some say this could lead to corruption.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare eliminated the qualifying percentile requirement for vacant postgraduate (PG) medical college seats in an announcement on September 20 — a move that has received praise from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) but criticism from others within the medical field.
The official notice reads, “It is for the information to candidates that vide Letter No. U-12021/07/2023-MEC (Pt-I) dated 20.09.2023... the qualifying percentile for PG Courses (Medical/Dental) for NEET PG Counselling 2023 has been reduced to ‘ZERO’ across all categories by MoHFW.”
So, what does this mean? As per the notification, now all candidates who appeared in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) PG 2023 are eligible for admission to any available MD/MS courses after the completion of two rounds of counselling, as there is no minimum qualifying mark.
Furthermore, the committee has decided to reopen fresh registration and choice filling for Round 3 of PG Counselling for candidates who now meet the eligibility criteria due to the elimination of the percentile requirement. Those eligible can register and participate in the third round of counselling.
Candidates who have already registered do not need to re-register but can edit their choices. A revised schedule for Round 3 and beyond for PG Counselling will soon be available on the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) website.
The IMA, the largest network of doctors in India, expressed gratitude to the health minister. They noted that the high percentile requirement prevented many deserving students from joining PG courses, even when seats were vacant. The IMA and the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) had advocated for a revision in the NEET PG cutoff criteria.
"As promised, the good news is here! We welcome the decision of
MoHFW to make everyone eligible for the remaining rounds of counselling for NEET PG 2023," the FORDA said on X, formerly Twitter.
Before the latest change, the cutoff percentile for admission to PG seats in the first two counselling rounds was 50 for unreserved candidates, 45 for persons with disabilities (PwD), and 40 for reserved-category students.
However, not all in the medical field agree with this decision.
Dr. Rohan Krishnan, National Chairman of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), expressed strong disagreement in a post on X.
Meanwhile, several doctors that CNBC-TV18 spoke to mentioned that though it looks like a good attempt to fill all the vacant seats, it also means that a student who has secured high marks and a student who secured zero marks are eligible to sit for the same PG medical counselling.I completely disagree with the bizarre circular released by @MoHFW_INDIA of removing cut off bar from#NEETPG. @PMOIndia - it is only going to promote corruption and high fee in pvt medical colleges.It is Shameful tht any medical body supported this step of zero percent merit.… pic.twitter.com/emv6crDBYw
— Dr. Rohan Krishnan (@DrRohanKrishna3) September 20, 2023
Several doctors on Twitter pointed out their disagreement with the order as well.
"Qualifying percentile for NEET PG being zero is absurd. One has to just appear for the exam and leave it all blank. I am hoping this is some kind of fake news. Imagine the rich abusing this, just appear, pay crores and get a seat in a private college all without a bare minimum knowledge, crazy!" said a user who goes by the name Dr. Anuj.
Qualifying percentile for NEET PG being zero is absurd. One has to just appear for the exam and leave it all blank. I am really hoping this is some kind of fake news. Imagine the rich abusing this, just appear, pay crores and get a seat in a private college all without a bare…
— Dr. Anuj (@anujtiwari11) September 20, 2023
In contrast, Union health secretary Sudhansh Pant defended the decision, stating that it is logical and can help fill vacant PG seats in less popular disciplines, preventing a national loss.
A government official from Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, Jhansi told CNBC-TV18 that the relaxation in percentile requirements is solely aimed at filling leftover seats. There is still a merit list for NEET PG, and this change is meant to address the issue of vacant seats.
Overall, there are approximately 47,000 MS/MD seats in the country, spanning both private and public medical institutions. The National Board of Examinations (NBE) will provide data on the remaining seats following the first two counselling rounds post-NEET clearance, after which a fresh round of counselling will commence.
(Edited by : Amrita)
First Published: Sept 21, 2023 11:02 AM IST
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