J&K: No centre for PG NEET leaves students feeling deprived

Srinagar: With the National Board of Examinations (NBE), conducting the National Eligibility Entrance Test(NEET) exam for admission to various PG courses for 2017 between December 5 and 13, medical aspirants from Kashmir are in a state of unrest.

President DAK, Dr Nisar ul Hassan voicing the discontent of Post graduate aspirants of the state said in a statement, lack of NEET centre for MD/MS/PG Diploma courses would jeopardize the future of aspiring doctors of the state.

A doctors’ body in Kashmir, on Tuesday, voicing there discontent over the absence of NEET centers in Kashmir said, that this would push the state aspirants behind others.

“While 86 centres in 41 cities across the country have been set up, Kashmir has been left out. We were surprised with the decision of not providing a centre in Kashmir. This would mean that doctors who were hoping to pursue PG courses would not be able to do so,” said Dr Hassan.

NEET having been made mandatory for all medical courses, Kashmir aspirants are in a state of anxiety as they will not be able to write the test, he said. “It is a dream for every doctor to become a specialist, but the aspirations of doctors in Kashmir have been shattered. As a result of this, people of the valley will be deprived of the services of specialist doctors.” Dr. Hasan stated. Despite poor road and air connectivity due to harsh winter, candidates are being pushed to move out of the valley to write the exam, he added.

He expressed concern about this exodus from the valley for the exam, as it would lead to a collapse of the healthcare system. “This would disrupt the functioning of hospitals and affect patient care,” he further added.

“We conveyed our apprehensions to National Board of Examinations (NBE) that our doctors will not be able to appear in the test unless the centre is provided in Kashmir, but to our utter dismay they were indifferent. We had appealed State government to intervene and prevail upon the concerned authorities to establish a centre here, but no efforts have been made in this regard,” said Hasan

“When NEET was imposed in our state we were told that it would not be against the interests of aspirants, but the claims have proved false, ” Dr Hasan reiterated.