The National Medical Commission (NMC) has recently made an important change to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2023. They have lowered the qualifying percentile to zero for all categories. As a result, every candidate who took part in the NEET PG 2023 exam will now be eligible to participate in the postgraduate medical counselling process. This decision opens up opportunities for all candidates, regardless of their scores, and ensures a fairer selection process.

After the notice is issued, a new round of registration and choice selection will be available for candidates participating in the third round of PG Counselling. Medical students who have become eligible due to a reduced percentile will have another chance to register for the postgraduate exam. Additionally, already registered candidates will be allowed to change their choices.

An updated schedule for NEET PG counselling 2023 round 3 and beyond will soon be published on the MCC website. It is recommended that candidates regularly check the website for additional information and updates.

The admission data reveals that there have been approximately 3,000 to 4,000 unfilled postgraduate seats annually for the past three years out of a total pool of 55,000 to 64,000 seats nationwide. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has advocated for a reduced cut-off to enable more doctors to enroll in postgraduate courses and guarantee that no seat remains vacant.

How did the Medical Association React to this change?

The  Indian Medical Association (IMA) took this decision positively. At the same time, the IMA National Zonal Coordinator Dhruv Chauhan said, “neet pg cutoff reduced to Zero should concern the general public more” As health has become a business in the market for Private mafias and politicians openly!!

United Doctors Front Association (UDFA) national president Lakshya Mittal said  the “change of NEET PG 2023 cut-off to zero must not be seen negative as admission to PG seats is based on merit itself.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Rohan Krishnan, president of FAIMA, Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and several others expressed concern about lowering the cut-off to 0. As per them, this decision undermines the quality of India’s medical education and the healthcare system. It will only encourage corruption and increase fees in private medical colleges.

The ministry's choice to decrease the qualifying percentage to zero exceeds the minimum requirement of 30 that the IMA had requested. "We appreciate this directive - by filling up PG positions, we will have an increased number of faculty members for our medical colleges in future years," expressed IMA national president Sharadh Agarwal.

According to "Dr. Anant Bhan, a specialist in global health, health policy, and bioethics, “the decision is unexpected and raises questions about the quality of postgraduate medical education.” It would be beneficial for any policy decision like this to have a clear explanation; otherwise, it may be perceived as favouring certain stakeholders in medical education, such as private medical colleges.

Dr. K.V. Babu, an RTI activist, expressed concerns that the government may intend to occupy every available spot in private medical colleges.