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.

The repeated reduction in NEET-PG cut-offs, including the recent negative score eligibility, is viewed by medical associations as a desperate measure to mask deeper policy failures. Concerns are raised about the potential erosion of academic standards and the long-term impact on healthcare quality, as candidates with demonstrably lower academic performance may enter specialist training, potentially leading to a decline in the caliber of future doctors.