Why are thousands of NEET PG seats vacant in India?

Thousands of PG medical seats are vacant due to high fees in private colleges, lack of affordable seats, and structural issues in medical education.

What is the significance of the negative 40 NEET PG cut-off?

A cut-off of negative 40 means candidates with very low scores, even negative marks, are now eligible for the third round of NEET PG counselling.

What are the concerns raised by doctors regarding NEET PG seat vacancies?

Doctors are concerned about the erosion of academic standards, the financial burden on students, and the long-term impact on healthcare quality.

Home / Education / India's Medical Crisis: Negative Scores Enter PG Admissions

India's Medical Crisis: Negative Scores Enter PG Admissions

15 Jan

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Summary

NEET-PG cut-offs lowered to negative 40 for counselling eligibility.
Thousands of postgraduate medical seats remain vacant annually.
High fees in private colleges are a major deterrent for aspirants.

India's Medical Crisis: Negative Scores Enter PG Admissions

India is grappling with a critical shortage of specialist doctors, paradoxically accompanied by thousands of vacant postgraduate medical seats. In an effort to address this disparity, authorities have progressively reduced the qualifying cut-offs for the NEET-PG entrance examination. For the current counselling cycle, eligibility has been extended to candidates scoring negative 40 in certain categories, a move that has sparked significant debate.

Experts attribute the vacancies not to a lack of aspiring doctors, but to systemic issues. A substantial portion of vacant seats are in private medical colleges, where exorbitant fees ranging from Rs 25 lakh to over Rs 1 crore make postgraduate education financially unattainable for many. This financial barrier, coupled with concerns about poor infrastructure and inconsistent stipends, leads many doctors to forgo opportunities or exclusively seek government seats.