Telangana: PG Aspirants oppose reduction in cut-offs

Hyderabad: Telangana, the state that was exerting pressure on the central government to reduce the cut off score for PG medical courses below 50% percentile to help in service doctors qualify is being met with opposition from within its territory. PG doctors and aspirants from Telangana have in a letter to the Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, have requested that the qualifying score not be reduced below 50% percentile. The request has been made on the basis that hardly 5% of those appearing for NEET are in service doctors. Therefore, lowering NEET score for this 5% would cost medical education dearly,in terms of quality maintenance in medical education.

To consider the plea of 5% candidates and make the other 95% suffer would be unfair to the majority, say aspirants and junior doctors. While college managements have been pushing for a reduction in cut-off scores for candidates, it is believed that the pressure is being exerted to encourage those seeking management quota seats, reports the TOI. The government had for the academic year 2017-18 approved an all time record number of over 4000 PG medical seats in various medical colleges and hospitals

"Hardly 5% of those appearing for NEET (PG) are inservice doctors. It is unfair to lower the cut-off marks taking into consideration the plea of 5% candidates and make the other 95% suffer. If the cut-off marks are reduced then the quality of medical education will be affected," said Dr Sandeep G, an aspirant with a 4,205 rank in NEET (PG) this year. Priyanka J, another NEET PG aspirant with a 7700 rank in NEET (PG), said, "As per the new rule for NEET (PG), even those who want to secure a management seat have to qualify for the exam. If the qualifying marks is reduced then those who want to secure management seats will benefit. This way , the whole purpose of having a national qualifying exam is lost."

On September 21 it was notified by the authorities that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for Post-Graduate Diploma courses would be conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) from December 5-13 across 41 cities reports DNA.

86 test centres at 41 cities held the examinations from December 5-13, 2016. The exam was a computer based test and is supposed to comprise of 300 multiple choice questions from the MBBS curriculum followed at medical colleges in India which is duly prescribed as per the Graduate Medical Education Regulation notified by Medical Council of India (MCI) with prior approval of the Health Ministry .

Common counselling for admission to all Postgraduate Courses (Diploma/MD/ MS/DM/M.Ch.) in all Medical Educational Institutions will be held on the basis of merit list of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test.