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Medical Education in India Hits Rock Bottom

Medical education in India hits rock bottom as the NEET controversy highlights the decline in quality, mismanagement by the NTA, and the government's flawed policies towards non-clinical subjects, risking the future of healthcare.

By Sundaram Pandey
New Update
Medical Education in India

Medical education in India hits rock bottom | The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) recently declared that the eligibility criteria for unfilled postgraduate seats in medical colleges would now be set at "zero percentile across all categories." | Representative image | Photo courtesy: Special arrangement

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Medical education in India is facing a severe crisis. The recent NEET controversy highlights the extent of the deteriorating quality of medical education in the country. While much attention has been given to the NEET paper leak and the National Testing Agency's (NTA) mishandling of the examination, another significant issue plagues the system: the government's inaction in promoting non-clinical subjects.

For instance, clinical subjects, which involve direct patient care and interaction, include hands-on training in hospitals and clinics. These encompass disciplines such as medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics, gynaecology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, and ENT. In contrast, non-clinical subjects like anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, and microbiology focus on the foundational sciences and theoretical knowledge essential for medical practice.

In India, clinical subjects consistently attract a large number of students each year, while non-clinical subjects struggle to find takers. The lack of interest in non-clinical disciplines for postgraduate studies has led to many vacant seats, even when some medical colleges offered these positions for free. In response, the government implemented a poorly conceived scheme of zero eligibility criteria. Although some argue this will help fill the seats and encourage students to pursue non-clinical courses, it risks significantly lowering the quality of medical education in the country.

NEET-PG Zero Percentile: A Flawed Move

The Medical Counseling Committee (MCC) recently declared that the eligibility criteria for unfilled postgraduate seats in medical colleges would now be set at "zero percentile across all categories." This drastic move by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) aims to address the issue of over 13,000 vacant PG seats in medical institutions nationwide, even after two rounds of counselling. Previously, the NEET-PG cut-off was 50 percent for general applicants, 45 percent for those in the PwD category, and 40 percent for reserved categories. Now, anyone who has taken the NEET-PG, including those with negative scores, can en

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