NEET PG: 52% top rankers in state choose general med

NEET PG: 52% top rankers in state choose general med

Preference In Sync With Nat’l Trend 

Sruthysusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com  12.11.2026

Bengaluru: The favourite MD/MS programme of NEET-PG aspirants in Karnataka is in tune with the national trend. While the first student to take a seat chose MD in radio diagnosis, around 52% of the students who picked a seat through Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) counselling went for general medicine. 

As per the final allotment list of the first round of counselling, 52 of the top 100 students chose general medicine. MD in radio diagnosis was the second most chosen branch (25 seats), followed by MD in dermatology (11 seats). Together, these top three non-surgical specialties accounted for 88% of all allotments. 

Surgical and procedural specialties like MS in orthopaedics, general surgery and obstetrics & gynaecology (OBG) and MD in paediatrics made up the remaining 12 seats. The trend is similar to that witnessed at the medical counselling committee’s counselling. 

“Radio diagnosis has taken a hit after a general feeling that artificial intelligence will affect the prospects of the stream. Orthopedics and surgery seem to have reached a saturation stage. General medicine is the new favourite now. It covers a wide range of subjects and aspirants feel they have a lot of options to pursue in super speciality ranging from nephrology to geriatric medicine. 

They can work independently in their own clinics and also have the opportunity to have constant interaction with patients,” said Bhagavan BC, vice-chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). Meanwhile, colleges are worried about seats in pre- and para-clinical courses going vacant. 

“Like last year, we will continue to waive the fees for some of the pre- and para-clinical courses as we are unable to find takers. The number of queries are low for these programmes this year too. The students will get stipends,” said the chairperson of a private college in Bengaluru. Many colleges also provide placements for these students as faculty in their departments. Karnataka has 9,887 seats this academic year, the highest in the country. Last year, over 700 seats were vacant in the state.