Counselling ends, no takers for 783 medical PG seats in Karnataka

Counselling ends, no takers for 783 medical PG seats in Karnataka

 SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 10.03.2026

TIMES OF INDIA BENGALURU

 Bengaluru : With counselling ending on Saturday, 783 of 4,773 postgraduate medical seats — or 16% — have remained unfilled in Karnataka. The PG seats were available for counselling through Karnataka Examinations Authority. Around 14,400 students registered for counselling and 10,000 entered options for medical PG through KEA. 

According to experts, several factors have contributed to this. First, addition of 967 seats in one year. Second, long counselling cycles. Third, most of these seats are under management quota with annual fees ranging from Rs 25,000 for an anatomy seat to Rs 1.3 crore for a dermatology seat in private colleges.

 What makes this year’s trends different is that seats in coveted streams are vacant. There were 500 general medicine seats available, of which 37 are vacant. In MD radiodiagnosis, 35 of 287 seats found no takers. In general surgery, 11 of 425 seats were unfilled. Dermatology had 15 of 196 seats and paediatrics had 25 of 362 seats vacant.

 Most vacant seats are in management quota where fees are high: RGUHS VC

 Pre and para-clinical seats had only a handful of takers. Only eight students took up anatomy seats, of the total 119 seats available. Twenty students opted for physiology, 21 for biochemistry, and 70 for pharmacology. Students showed better interest in pathology, with 226 students opting for it. Compare this with previous year’s admissions. 

In 2024-25, there were 3,806 medical PG seats available through KEA counselling. Of these, 3,378 were allotted, leaving 428 seats vacant. It’s a 10% vacancy. All the vacant seats that year were in pre and para-clinical programmes. The trend was the same in 2023 too, when 478 seats were vacant — all from pre and para clinical. There was an increase of 967 seats in a single year this time. 

“The mindset of students applying for MBBS and MD is different. In MBBS, at whichever stage seats are added, they get filled up. Not with PG. From what we observed, the seats added in the middle of counselling do not find many takers. PG students charted out their career paths,” said SNVL Narasimha Raju, chairman, The Oxford Educational Institutions. 

“Counselling takes a very long time amid court cases and other delays. There is very little gap between one counselling and the next year’s exam. So students decide to prepare better for the next year’s exam, rather than pay for the highfee category seat this year. Thus, the NRI/management seats are left vacant in many institutions,” he added. 

“This time, there was an increase in the number of seats. Most vacant seats are in the management quota. These fees are so high that it is out of reach for many students. It is sad that seats are going vacant even when there are hundreds of students repeating the exam, vying for those seats. One way to do it is to subsidise the management seats and make it more affordable for the students,” said Bhagavan BC, vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. “All the rounds of counselling are over, unless the National Medical Commission permits more,” said Islavuddeen Gadyal, administrative officer, KEA.

NMC tightens noose on mushrooming. of under-resourced medical colleges

NMC tightens noose on mushrooming. of under-resourced medical colleges

Divyansh.Kumar@timesofindia.com

09.03.2026

TIMES EDUCATION 09.03.2026

All new medical colleges will have to maintain a corpus fund to get an approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC) for establishment and expansion. NMC plans to tighten the financial scrutiny and application compliance for new and existing medical colleges, for which the colleges will have to show financial feasibility. The policy might turn out to be a powerful legal tool to regulate mushrooming of under resourced medical colleges. This regulation will also tighten the noose over institutions that cite ‘financial deficits’ as a convenient excuse to deny mandatory stipends for interns and residents.

The exact amount of the corpus will be decided by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board(MARB), with the regulatory body retaining the authority to revise the mandated amount periodically. The draft provision extends this financial requirement to already functioning medical colleges as well. “The objective is not expansion control per se, but to ensure that only serious, adequately resourced institutions enter and remain in the system. Over the past decade, expansion of medical colleges has been a national priority to address doctor shortages. At the Same time, quality, faculty stability, infrastructure continuity, and student protection remained non-negotiable. The proposed corpus mechanism is intended to ensure long-term financial sustainability, prevent disruption of academic activity, and safeguard the interests of students and trainees,” NMC officials tell Education Times.

The number of medical colleges in the country has nearly doubled, rising from 387 in 2014 tomore than 780 by 2024. During the same period, MBBS seats increased by over 130%, jumping from roughly 51,300 to more than 1.18 lakh. While the expansion has improved access tomedical education, it has also exposed gaps in financial sustainability, infrastructure, and faculty availability.

The draft provision can address these structural problems. “Many colleges cite financial deficits to deny stipends to interns and residents. If properly audited, this requirement can help ensure that institutions proving financial solvency are able to pay stipends,” says Dr Sandeep Dagar, patron, (FAIMA).

The issue of unpaid or delayed stipends has been a recurring flashpoint across several states, with colleges frequently attributing the problem to fund constraints. “In the 2023 regulations on the establishment and expansion of medical institutions, a corpus fund was required for each medical college, but the exact amount was never specified, which was an oversight flagged by the Supreme Court. Henceforth, the medical colleges will have to give an undertaking on financial viability. NMC will soon deliberate and determine the appropriate amount to be maintained as acorpus fund,” says Dr MK Ramesh, president, MARB.

Strict Compliance

The traditional practice of planned renewal inspections will be phased out. “NMC will conduct random, surprise inspections instead of standard renewal inspections. We already have introduced Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) and other monitoring tools in place. Furthermore, we are working to introduce app-based IDs for patients and plan to leverage AI and digital technology to ensure strict compliance,” adds Dr Ramesh.

NMC warns against ‘fake’ patients in medical colleges

 

NMC warns against ‘fake’ patients in medical colleges

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI  03.02.2026

Medical colleges admitting “fake patients” can see their applications for new postgraduate courses or additional seats immediately rejected, the National Medical Commission (NMC) warned in a recent order.

The commission said some medical colleges admit people who do not require any treatment to fulfill the requirement of bed occupancy and investigations. It said “fake patient practice” will invite punishment if it is reported during an assessment.

The NMC approves additional medical college seats through a stringent, time-bound online process conducted by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB). Experts note that key aspects include adherence to the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, and Undergraduate Minimum Standard Requirements, with strict deadlines for submission.

The NMC said that detection of fake patients may result in barring the institution from starting new courses or from increasing intake in existing courses for a period specified by the MARB. It can affect the renewal of UG and existing PG courses.

The commission has laid down guidelines to identify fake patients. These include patients admitted on the day of, or just before, an assessment. Those who have minor ailments that can be treated on an outpatient basis, and those admitted without X-ray, blood reports or any in-patient treatment such as intravenous cannula, injections, and catheterisation will be treated as “fake” patients. Multiple patients from the same family being admitted, and patients admitted in large numbers through preventive health check-up camps are also “fake”. In paediatric wards, playful children admitted without any significant problem will be categorised as “fake”.

The NMC said the assessment will consider the faculty, infrastructure, clinical material/indicators, and quality of education of the college.

HC overturns order for third valuation of answer scripts

HC overturns order for third valuation of answer scripts 

MBBS STUDENTS 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 23.02.2026

Bengaluru : The high court set aside a single bench order that required a third valuation of answer scripts of certain MBBS students, providing relief to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha held that the ordinance or notification governing the central assessment programme (CAP) for theory paper assessment of all undergraduate health science courses of the university benefits students. CAP provides for two valuations and considers the higher marks awarded between the two. On July 30,2025, a single bench issued two directions. Firstly, the RGUHS syndicate and academic council were directed to reconsider the matter afresh, specifically with regard to providing essential key answers or model answers for descriptive questions, in order to prevent anomalies or ambiguities during initial evaluations.

 Secondly, RGUHS was told to forward the answer scripts of petitioners to an additional evaluator for fresh assessment, in light of the significant discrepancy between the marks awarded by the evaluators.

 RGUHS challenged the order. The division bench noted that National Medical Commission (NMC) seemed to have altered its stand and that subjective answers could not be evaluated on the basis of key phrases or terms used in the answers. RGUHS argued that answers to medical science questions were evaluated based on students’ understanding and knowledge. “In our view, it would not be appropriate for this court to examine how answers to questions in a particular subject are required to be evaluated. 

The university is at liberty to take an appropriate decision uninfluenced by the observations made in the impugned order,” the bench said. “We are unable to accept that referring the answer scripts to a third valuer would, in any manner, mitigate this element of subjectivity in the evaluation of answer scripts,” the division bench  observed.

 “If the third evaluator awards higher marks – that is, higher than the marks awarded by the two evaluators – the question would arise as to which of the marks is required to be accepted. There is no provision to declare the results on the basis of the highest marks awarded by three evaluators,” it observed while allowing the appeals filed by RGUHS.

DME launches portal for foreign medical graduates to check vacant internships

DME launches portal for foreign medical graduates to check vacant internships

Portal to also enable candidates to apply online directly and obtain their allotment orders; Health Minister distributes appointment orders to 668 nurses who served during COVID-19 pandemic

Health Minister Ma. Subramanian unveiling the portal launched by the Directorate of Medical Education during an event to distribute appointment orders to temporary nurses.SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 22.02.2026

The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Research on Saturday launched a web portal to enable Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG) to check vacant internship positions in government and private medical colleges in the State, apply online directly, and obtain their allotment orders.

Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said the portal was launched to do away with the difficulty of students having to search for vacant positions to take up their Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship (CRMI) training.

Shortly after launching the portal, the Minister said that foreign medical students were previously required to pay ₹3 lakh to the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University to undergo internship training at medical colleges in the State. They also had to visit a number of offices for applications and take up internship positions wherever there were vacancies. This fee was waived after this (DMK) government assumed office, and they were also granted a monthly stipend of ₹25,000 during their internship period.

Following this, the Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association - Foreign wing thanked the Minister for fulfilling their demand to make the internship application process online.

FMGs are required to undergo CRMI to obtain permanent registration in India. For this, they had to visit DME office in Chennai and submit the necessary documents within the specified dates. This caused difficulties for those coming from distant districts. So, they made a request to take this process online. They also welcomed the launch of the portal as the number of available vacancies will be published transparently.

Appointment orders

Earlier, Mr. Subramanian handed over appointment orders to 668 nurses, who had worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the last batch of nurses to be given appointment orders.

To ensure that none of the nurses who worked during COVID-19 were left out, they were granted special marks and appointed in 708 urban health and wellness centres, 50 primary health centres (PHC), and urban PHCs, he said.

A total of 2,814 persons were temporarily appointed during the pandemic. Of them, 2,146 had already received appointment orders through the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) on a contractual basis. There were issues in submitting documents for the remaining candidates, and they had requested contract appointments through MRB. They were called individually and their documents were verified. Appointment orders have now been issued to 668 persons.

The Minister said that the State government has been gradually granting permanent posts to those working on a temporary basis through MRB since 2014. “Between 2014 and 2021 — a period of seven years during the previous AIADMK regime, only 1,871 individuals were granted permanent appointments,” he said, adding that as promised in the DMK election manifesto, 5,825 contract nurses have received permanent job orders within five years of the present government.

NMC proposes mandatory corpus fund for med colleges

NMC proposes mandatory corpus fund for med colleges 

‘Will Reject Incomplete Applications’ 

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 22.02.2026

New Delhi : In a bid to tighten the noose on regulatory compliance in medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed making a dedicated corpus fund mandatory for new and recently operational medical colleges, while warning that incomplete applications will be rejected outright. Under draft amendments issued this week to the 2023 regulations governing establishment and expansion of medical institutions, any entity seeking to open a new medical college will have to submit an undertaking confirming that it will maintain a dedicated corpus fund exclusively for the functioning of the institution. The amount will be determined later by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) and may be revised from time to time.

The provision also refers to already operational colleges. Dr M K Ramesh, president of the MARB told TOI that the earlier regulation had mentioned a corpus fund but did not specify any amount, making it difficult to enforce. Instead of deleting the clause, the Commission chose to retain it by seeking an undertaking from colleges, with the exact amount to be fixed after due deliberation. While the wording includes existing institutions, the intent is largely to ensure financial safeguards for new and recently opened colleges. Once decided, the corpus amount will be uniform. 

The draft also marks a clear shift toward stricter scrutiny of applications. It clarifies that under the NMC Act, a “scheme” is valid only when an application is complete with all mandatory documents. In the past, some applicants submitted incomplete proposals and later sought additional time — or court intervention — to furnish missing documents. The amendment aims  to end that practice by stating that incomplete applications will be rejected at the outset, without further opportunity. 

Mandatory documents include a valid Essentiality Certificate from the concerned state or Union Territory govt, a valid Consent of Affiliation from a recognised university, and a solvency certificate issued by a chartered accountant within 90 days prior to the application deadline. The regulator has also empowered itself to withhold processing or reject applications for new schemes or seat increases. 

The draft states that any attempt to pressurise MARB or the NMC through individuals or agencies could lead to immediate halt or rejection of the application. By mandating a corpus fund and eliminating room for incomplete proposals, the NMC appears to be signalling that future expansion must be backed by financial preparedness and full regulatory compliance.

818 Medical Colleges in India, Maximum in UP, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu: Health Ministry tells Parliament Written By : Divyani PaulPublished On 15 Feb 2026 11:00 AM | Updated On 15 Feb 2026 11:00 AM New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed the Lok Sabha that India currently has a total of 818 medical colleges, including AIIMS and Institutes of National Importance (INIS) across India. The details were shared in response to an Unstarred Question on February 6, 2026. Replying to queries raised by Shri Jagannath Sarkar regarding districts without government medical colleges and plans for prioritising high-population districts, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav said that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has reported a total of 818 medical colleges nationwide. Also Read: 18 AIIMS Functional, 4 Under Construction: Health Minister tells Parliament As per the list shared in this regard, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of medical colleges at 88 (51 government and 37 private), followed by Maharashtra with 85 (43 government and 42 private), and Tamil Nadu with 78 colleges (38 government, 40 private). Karnataka has 72 (24 government and 48 private), Telangana has 66 (37 government, 29 private), and Rajasthan has 49 (34 government, 15 private). However, several smaller States and UTs, such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim have only one medical college each.

818 Medical Colleges in India, Maximum in UP, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu: Health Ministry tells Parliament

Written By : Divyani PaulPublished On 15 Feb 2026 11:00 AM | Updated On 15 Feb 2026 11:00 AM

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed the Lok Sabha that India currently has a total of 818 medical colleges, including AIIMS and Institutes of National Importance (INIS) across India.

The details were shared in response to an Unstarred Question on February 6, 2026.

Replying to queries raised by Shri Jagannath Sarkar regarding districts without government medical colleges and plans for prioritising high-population districts, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav said that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has reported a total of 818 medical colleges nationwide.

As per the list shared in this regard, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of medical colleges at 88 (51 government and 37 private), followed by Maharashtra with 85 (43 government and 42 private), and Tamil Nadu with 78 colleges (38 government, 40 private).

Karnataka has 72 (24 government and 48 private), Telangana has 66 (37 government, 29 private), and Rajasthan has 49 (34 government, 15 private).

However, several smaller States and UTs, such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim have only one medical college each.

Student with 1/800 score in NEET-PG bags MS orthopaedics seat at pvt college in Hyderabad

Student with 1/800 score in NEET-PG bags MS orthopaedics seat at pvt college in Hyderabad

Ajay Tomar

Feb 12, 2026, 3:24 IST

Student with 1/800 score in NEET-PG bags MS orthopaedics seat at pvt college in Hyderabad Your TOI+ subscription ends in 25 days Subscribe Now! Renew Now

Hyderabad: The sharp reduction in the cut-off for national eligibility-cum-entrance test for postgraduate (NEET-PG) seats, announced recently, has left Telangana's medical fraternity worried. Especially after several PG medical seats — including high-risk clinical and surgical specialties — were filled by candidates with extremely low scores, during the third round of counselling released conducted by the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS). 

The list shows how many candidates with poor scores gained admission into premier institutions. 

In one case, for instance, a candidate with a score of 1 out of 800 — and an all-India rank of 2,29,981 — secured an MS orthopaedics seat at a prominent private medical college in Hyderabad. Similarly, PG seats in forensic medicine and pathology at a noted govt medical college in the city were allotted to candidates who scored 12 and 24 marks, respectively. 

In Jan this year, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), along with the central health ministry lowered qualifying percentiles — from 50th to seven for general category — to fill more than 18,000 vacant PG seats nationwide for the 2025–26 academic session. Candidates from OBC, SC, ST, and PwD categories with even negative scores are now deemed eligible for counselling. Following this revision, several candidates in Telangana have landed seats in institutions such as Osmania Medical College (OMC), Gandhi Medical College (GMC), and other reputed colleges, including in high-demand specialties such as orthopaedics, paediatrics, general medicine, and others. 

"Surgical branches such as orthopaedics, and paediatric surgery have always been among the most in-demand specialities. Filling these seats with candidates scoring as low as one mark reflects a system under severe strain," said Dr Ajay Kumar Goud, general secretary of the Telangana Junior Residents Doctors' Association (T-JUDA). "Allowing clinical and surgical branches to be filled at near-zero percentiles is a serious dilution of standards and directly risks patient safety," he added. ‘Will not fix system' Experts also pointed out how lowering percentiles will not fix the system if infrastructure and faculty shortages persist.

 "The issue points to deeper structural problems - rapid expansion of PG seats without proportional growth in trained faculty, overcrowded classrooms, and declining bedside training," said Dr Kiran Madhala, secretary-general of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA). The current policy also differs from the Centre's earlier stance. In July 2022, while opposing a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking reduction of NEET-PG cut-offs, the govt had argued that minimum qualifying standards were essential to maintain academic quality. The High Court had upheld that lowering standards in medical education could "wreak havoc on society." Doctors warned that the consequences may surface years later. 

"Training gaps today will reflect when these doctors practise independently. Critical specialties require quick, high-risk decision-making, and this trend may weaken emergency care services," added Dr Madhala. "While measures like conducting NEET twice a year may help reduce vacancies, they cannot replace merit-based selection. Any dilution of eligibility criteria compromises clinical excellence and public trust," said Dr Srinath Dubyala, president, Federation of All India Medical Association.

Bar for NEET-PG lowered: Just show up Students And Experts Oppose Move

Bar for NEET-PG lowered: Just show up 

Students And Experts Oppose Move

 Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 11.02.2026

Chennai : National medical commission will continue to use NEET-PG 2026 as criterion for admissions to master’s programmes in medicine. Yet, candidates can qualify simply by showing up, even if they answer every question incorrectly or skip them entirely. 

NMC chairman Dr Abhijat Chandrakant Sheth told TOI that after two rounds of admission in 2025, cut-offs were slashed to a NEET-PG score of -40. “We were left with no choice. More than 10,000 seats were vacant. There were vacancies in clinical courses at govt colleges,” he argued. 

Results of the 3 rd round released by the medical counselling committee drew fire as students with low scores, including single digits out of 800, grabbed govt seats in high-demand courses such as orthopaedics. “Doing away with eligibility scores will not take away priority from meritorious students. Many competitive examinations abroad follow this model. Students who have better scores can opt for a preferred course and institution. 

A student with a lower score will not be placed over a meritorious candidate. It will avoid delays in the admission process,” he said. Students and experts have vehemently opposed the move. “NMC is not an efficient regulatory body like the UK’s general medical council or the American board of medical specialities,” argued Dr Priya G, who is awaiting PG admissions. 

“We wrote the exam in August and received scorecards the same month. But the admission is yet to be completed. Every year, we see a new set of problems in admissions, from paper leaks to errors in scoring and counselling mismanagement,” she said. 

Academic counsellors say that if the commission decides to allow students with poor scores to take part from round one, it will dilute merit entirely. “Seats go to the highest bidder, not the best prepared. There are vacancies, but for that, we cannot reward failure,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. “It seems very wrong because this system seems to supply candidates to colleges that charge very high fees,” he said.

44 for Gynaecology, 4 for Ortho: What's behind alarmingly low NEET PG cut-offs for medical seats

44 for Gynaecology, 4 for Ortho: What's behind alarmingly low NEET PG cut-offs for medical seats

This shift was especially noted during the third round of counselling for the 2025–26 session, where seat allotments were recorded at record low scores.

Updated on: Feb 10, 2026 11:15 PM IST

Written byPriyanjali Narayan

The recent rounds of NEET PG counselling have highlighted an unusual admission pattern in government medical colleges, with candidates securing postgraduate seats at exceptionally low scores across several specialties in government institutions.

In one of the most striking instances, an MS Orthopaedics seat at a government medical college in Rohtak was allotted to a candidate who scored just 4 marks out of 800, (Representative image/Unsplash)

This has raised questions as it also includes core clinical and surgical branches across several states.

This stark shift was especially noted during the third round of counselling for the 2025–26 academic session, where seat allotments were recorded at single-digit and low double-digit scores in multiple disciplines.

What is happening?

In one of the most striking instances, an MS Orthopaedics seat at a government medical college in Rohtak was allotted to a candidate who scored just 4 marks out of 800, according to an NDTV report.

At a government medical college in Tamil Nadu, a Physiology seat was allotted to a candidate with a minus 12 score. Meanwhile, a premier Delhi medical institution saw an Obstetrics and Gynaecology seat allotted at 44 marks, while a General Surgery seat was filled at 47 marks, the report added.

How low scores can lead to top colleges?

These outcomes followed the Union Health Ministry’s decision to substantially lower NEET-PG qualifying thresholds for the 2025–26 academic session.

Under the revised criteria, the cut-off score for the general category was reduced to 103 from the earlier 276, the report stated.

For SC, ST and OBC categories, the cut-off was brought down to minus 40 from the earlier score of 235, allowing candidates with extremely low — and in some cases negative — scores to qualify for counselling.

The impact was visible across disciplines. Seats were allotted at 10 marks in Transfusion Medicine, 11 marks in Anatomy and even minus 8 marks in Biochemistry, particularly under reserved and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories.

Why low score selections can be a problem?

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to explain its drastic reduction of the qualifying cut-off percentiles for NEET-PG 2025-26, according to a PTI report.

"Then the argument will be that the standards are being lowered and the counter-argument is that seats are going waste. So, somewhere there has to be a balance," the bench observed.

Who is raising the issue?

Doctors’ bodies, including the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and the Federation of Doctors Association (FORDA), had raised an issue even during the second rounds of counselling.

In a letter addressed to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, FAIMA president Dr Rohan Krishnan said that reducing the qualifying percentile to zero sets a dangerous precedent for the future of India’s medical education system.

NEET-PG cut-off: Single-digit scores land PG seats in top med colleges

NEET-PG cut-off: Single-digit scores land PG seats in top med colleges 

TIMES OF INDIA 09.02.2026

New Delhi : A steep cut in NEET-PG qualifying standards has led to postgraduate medical seats in govt colleges being filled at shockingly low scores — including in high-risk clinical specialties — triggering alarm across the medical fraternity, reports Anuja Jaiswal. 

The impact was stark in third-round PG counselling, where candidates secured seats in govt medical colleges with scores ranging from single digits to double digits, spanning both clinical and non-clinical disciplines. Even premier institutions and core clinical branches saw seats being allotted to candidates with such scores. 

An MS orthopaedics seat at a govt institute in Rohtak was allotted to a candidate with just 4 marks out of 800, while obstetrics and gynaecology at a premier Delhi medical college went to a candidate who scored 44 marks. A general surgery seat was filled at 47 marks. 

 Removing cut-offs altogether risks patient safety, says doc This signals a serious breakdown in medical education and workforce planning,” said a senior faculty member at a govt medical college.

 “Orthopaedics has traditionally been among the most demanding surgical specialties. Filling it at near-zero scores is a sign not of weaker students but a system under severe strain.” This happened following the sharp lowering of NEETPG qualifying standards by Union health ministry for the 2025–26 academic session, with drastically reduced cutoffs across categories allowing candidates with extremely low — and even negative — scores to qualify. 

The effect was visible across disciplines. Seats were filled at 10 marks in transfusion medicine,  11 marks in anatomy, and minus 8 marks in biochemistry, many under reserved and PwD categories. While the revised cutoffs ensured that seats did not remain vacant, doctors warn the policy risks trading competence for convenience.

 “Allowing surgical and clinical branches to be filled at zero or near-zero percentile represents a serious erosion of standards,” said a senior doctor at a govt medical college. “Marks as low as 4, 11, 44 or 47 out of 800 point to a lack of basic aptitude. Removing cut-offs altogether directly risks patient safety.” The current policy marks asharp shift from govt’s earlier stand.

 In July 2022, opposing a plea to lower NEET-PG cut-offs in Delhi HC, Centre had argued that minimum qualifying percentiles were essential to maintain education standards. The court agreed, warning that lowering medical education standards could “wreak havoc on society”, as medicine involved matters of life and death. Defending the present framework, a senior health ministry official said PG seats are allotted strictly under revised eligibility rules, and competence is intended to be ensured through training and exit exams, not entry cut-offs alone. 

Colleges are certified by regulators and are responsible for failing unsuitable candidates, the official said. Medical educators, however, say the trend reflects deeper structural problems — rapid seat expansion without a matching rise in trained faculty, overcrowded classrooms and eroding bedside skills. “Without strong faculty, robust exit exams and a system to weed out unsuitable candidates, anyone who enters medicine eventually gets a degree,” said a senior academician. Faculty members say the consequences are already visible. 

Many postgraduate students arrive without strong theoretical foundations, clinical skills or discipline. Pressure to pass students, weak exit mechanisms and over-reliance on online learning have further diluted training quality. “Easy entry has reduced seriousness even at top institutions,” said another doctor on condition of anonymity. “Numbers are rising, but training quality is falling — and that poses long-term risks to patient care.” Doctors caution that the branch of medicine does not reveal its failures immediately. Gaps in training today may surface years later, when these doctors practise independently — with serious implications for patient safety and public trust in the healthcare system. 

09/02/2026, 07:54 Times of India ePaper bangalore - Read Today’s English News Paper Online https://epaper.indiatimes.com/timesepaper/publication-the-times-of-india,city-bangalore.cms 2/3 09/02/2026, 07:54 Times of India ePa

Over 800 NEET PG aspirants converted from Indian to NRI Change

Over 800 NEET PG aspirants converted from Indian to NRI Change 

Gives Them A Crack At Costly Seats With Less Competition

Rema.Nagarajan@timesofindia.com 01.02.2026

Medical Counselling Committee that allocates postgraduate seats in various medical specialties has released a list of 811 candidates who have chosen to “change their nationality” from Indian to NRI to get seats in the third round in 2025-26. Seats in NRI quota are the most expensive but that also means competition is less, with cut-offs lower than even for management quota. In effect, therefore, conversion to NRI gives those with low NEET scores but deep pockets a shot at getting seats in high demand clinical disciplines. 

The 811 candidates found to be eligible for conversion to NRI quota include two categories — those who actually are NRIs or children of NRIs and a second category of those who can show themselves to be wards of first degree or second degree relatives who are NRIs. 

There are 113 candidates in the first group and 698 in the second group. The lowest score among NRIs in the first category is 82 out of 800, while it is 28 in the second category. In the first category, 75 candidates scored less than 215, which means their rank is below 1.5 lakh. Over 422 of 698 candidates in the second category of NRIs are below 1.5 lakh rank. But these candidates can afford the NRI quota fees for any specialty. 

Fees for NRI quota PG seats in a clinical specialty could be as high as ₹45 lakh to ₹95 lakh per year, depending on the specialty, state and deemed university. If courts and govt did not allow conversion of Indians to NRIs, many of the quota seats would remain unfilled and would have to be converted into management seats where the fees would be much less. However, with even courts accepting the argument that private medical colleges cannot afford any financial loss, definition of NRIs has been expanded to allow candidates who don’t have NRI parents or siblings to show themselves as a ward of relatives. 

K’taka NRI seats sold for ₹25L to non-NRIs: MLA 

A political and ethical storm has erupted in Karnataka over the state govt’s decision to offer MBBS admissions in govt medical colleges under NRI quota — a move critics allege has resulted in affordable govt seats being effectively sold at a premium, report Sruthy Susan Ullas and Sandeep Moudgal . BJP’s Mangaluru North MLA Y Bharath Shetty raised the issue in the assembly earlier this week. “For the first time, Karnataka is selling govt medical seats for ₹25 lakh per year. A seat, which was meant to be affordable for a meritorious Kannadigaat ₹1-1.5 lakh per year, is now being sold by govt (at a much higher price),” he alleged.

Med student loses interest in psychiatry, hangs herself

Med student loses interest in psychiatry, hangs herself 

DHARWAD HOSTEL 

Basavaraj.Kattimani@timesofindia.com 29.01.2026

In a tragic incident, a medical student ended her life by hanging herself at Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Dimhans) hostel Wednesday. According to police sources, the deceased is Pragnya Palegar, 25, of Shivamogga. She was staying at the hostel with a roommate. The suicide came to light when the roommate returned to the hostel Wednesday morning. Dimhans director Dr Arunkumar C told TOI

Pragnya was pursuing PG in MD Psychiatry. Having got admission on Jan 1, she had been staying at the hostel for the past few days. As she lost interest in psychiatry subject after taking admission, her parents came to the city to counsel and persuade her to continue the studies. “But we do not know what exactly transpired between them. We are shocked to know about her suicide. Her roommate alerted college staff and police after seeing her body,” Arunkumar added. 

Pragnya’s mother Dr Rekha, who is an anatomy professor, said the former took admission on her own interest. “After getting admission, she told us she was not interested in pursuing the course. As it is common for students to face such situations during the initial days of their PG, we thought she too was going through the same. We came to Dharwad and counselled her. We went back to Shivamogga yesterday. But she ended her life by hanging the next morning,” she said, adding the family is distraught at losing the lone daughter. 

PR Gangenahalli, inspector at Dharwad sub-urban police station quoted the victim’s parents, saying she lost interest in the course and took the extreme step, counselling by parents notwithstanding. “We filed a case and completed the formalities, including autopsy,” he added. If you are in need of support, call suicide-prevention helplines — Arogya Vani: 104, Sahai: 080- 25497777.

NMC took up 185 doc appeals, nixed 256 by patients in 5 yrs

NMC took up 185 doc appeals, nixed 256 by patients in

 5 yrs 

Ethics Board Says Non-Med Practitioners Can’t File Appeals

 Rema.Nagarajan@timesofindia.com 28.01.2026

In response to a Right to Information application, National Medical Commission (NMC) has revealed it has taken up 185 appeals by doctors against state medical councils’ decisions from its inception in Sept 2020 till Jan 2026, while it has returned 256 appeals filed by patients in the same period. Recently, health ministry had asked the commission to consider hearing appeals filed by patients and/or their relatives against state council rulings on alleged negligence by doctors. 

Responding to a complaint by an RTI activist and ophthalmologist Dr KV Babu, who has been following up the issue of patients’ appeals being rejected, policy division of health ministry asked NMC to “take necessary action in accordance with the law”. In his complaint, Dr Babu urged the ministry to take action against NMC members who took “an illegal decision” in 2021 to return appeals filed by patients claiming NMC Act did not allow them to appeal. In Oct 2021, NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) had decided that in keeping with NMC Act, 2019, “only medical practitioners or professionals should be allowed as (sic) appeals before EMRB”. Section 30(3) of NMC Act states that medical professionals aggrieved by state council decisions can appeal. Though nothing in the section expressly bars patients from filing appeals, EMRB inserted the word “only” medical practitioners into its reading of the section in its Oct 2021 meeting. “Ever since NMC was formed, they have been rejecting, on average, one patient appeal every week, 256 rejections in more than five years. 

There is no explicit provision in NMC Act which bars the hearing of appeals from the public. If anything, the act clearly mandates that NMC is to adopt earlier statutory provisions of MCI. Rejecting patient appeals has been illegal right from  in the 16th meeting of NMC it was agreed that all appeals received by EMRB will be entertained. However, EMRB has continued to reject appeals coming to it,” said Dr Babu. The draft amendment of NMC Act contains a provision that explicitly provides for the public to file appeals before NMC’s EMRB against decisions of state councils. Recently, health ministry had asked the commission to consider hearing appeals filed by patients and/or their relatives against state council rulings

In 2023 too, -40 was good enough for NEET PG

In 2023 too, -40 was good enough for NEET PG 

Rema.Nagarajan@timesofindia.com 19.01.2026

There is much outrage in the medical community that the cut off for NEET PG 2025 has been reduced to zero percentile for the reserved category, which is equivalent to a score of -40. However, this is not the first time a score of -40 was good enough to qualify. The cut off was similarly reduced to zero percentile in 2023 for all categories and then too the equivalent score was -40. 

In 2023, when the medical counselling committee announced the reduction to zero percentile, it did not reveal that this was equivalent to a score of -40. TOI had analysed NEET scores and pointed out that zero percentile meant 14 candidates who scored zero marks, 13 with negative marks and the one getting the lowest mark of -40 out of 800 would also qualify. 

In 2025, there are 126 candidates who have scored zero or less. Zero percentile means the lowest score or that none of the candidates got less. In 2023 and in 2025, one candidate got the lowest score of -40. Interestingly, in July 2022, in response to a petition filed by three students seeking lower cut off, govt had stated in court that “minimum qualifying percentile for admission is required to be maintained to ensure minimum standard of education and general standards for admission to professional courses”. Taking govt’s argument into consideration, the court dismissed the petition and ruled against lowering the standards of medical education as it “involves in its ambit the matter of life and death”. 

In 2023, govt officials were quoted in news reports justifying lowering the cut off to zero as aone-time measure to fill vacant PG seats. However, this has become a regular feature with cut offs being lowered to abysmal levels every year. About 2 lakh to 2.3 lakh students appear for NEET PG for over 70,000 seats. However, the seats in private colleges remain vacant as the fees for clinical subjects in many of them runs into crores, which most candidates cannot afford. 

Lowering the cut off increases the pool of ‘qualified’ candidates and improves the chance of finding candidates with deep pockets who can afford the fees even if they have rock bottom scores. “To lower NEET PG qualifying marks to abysmal level is driven solely by commercial considerations. This decision ‘reserves’ post-graduate medical seats to the rich and mighty in commercial fiefdoms called private medical colleges. This is shameful and must be condemned as unadulterated corruption,” tweeted former principal health secretary of Andhra Pradesh Dr P V Ramesh.

NEET-PG cut-off slashed to fill 9,000 vacant seats amid doctor shortage

NEET-PG cut-off slashed to fill 9,000 vacant seats amid doctor shortage

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 14.01.2026

New Delhi : The govt on Tuesday lowered the qualifying cut-off for NEET-PG 2025, paving the way to fill more than 9,000 vacant postgraduate medical seats across the country, amid concerns that a large chunk of training capacity was being wasted at a time of acute doctor shortages. The decision was notified by National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), which revised qualifying percentiles across categories to expand eligibility for counselling and admissions. Officials said around 2.42 lakh candidates appeared for NEET-PG this year, but a high cut-off had left thousands of seats unfilled. 

Under the revised criteria, the qualifying percentile for general and EWS candidates has been reduced from the 50 th to the 7 th percentile, and for general persons with benchmark disability (PwBD) from the 45 th to the 5 th percentile. For SC, ST and OBC candidates, including PwBD, the percentile has been reduced from 40 to zero, with the corresponding cut-off score fixed at –40 out of 800 (due to negative marking). 

Officials said India has around 65,000–70,000 PG medical seats, and allowing nearly one in seven seats to remain vacant would weaken teaching hospitals and strain healthcare delivery, particularly in govt institutions that rely heavily on resident doctors. The relaxation followed a representation by Indian Medical Association (IMA), which had written to Union health minister J P Nadda on Jan 12, seeking a rational revision of cut-offs to prevent large-scale vacancies.

MCC moves to lower qualifying percentile

 MCC moves to lower qualifying percentile

 PG MEDICAL INTAKE HALTED 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  11.01.2026

Ahmedabad : Round 3 of PG medical counselling for 2025 has been put on hold as the medical counselling committee (MCC) moves to revise the qualifying percentile. The MCC has instructed all state medical education departments and vice chancellors to halt third-round proceedings until a revised schedule is officially released, a move that makes it unlikely for the process to commence before Jan 15.

The delay comes at a time when Gujarat has 635 vacant PG medical seats. This includes 163 seats left empty due to non-reporting by candidates allotted seats. Additionally, 354 seats were already vacant, and approval was recently granted for 118 new PG seats. 

The MCC clarified that the all-India quota and state-level schedules will only be uploaded once the authority approves the new eligibility criteria. Additionally, the Union health ministry is conducting hearings until Jan 10 regarding appeals from state-run colleges for even more PG seats. Sources suggest that if the qualifying percentile is lowered, the Round 3 process may restart entirely to allow newly eligible candidates to apply

No separate recognition needed for MBBS seats: NMC

No separate recognition needed for MBBS seats: NMC

Once seats are approved or renewed annually, that batch will be treated as recognised for that year, regulatory body tells medical colleges; directs them to submit only an annual report and fee

Earlier practice of granting separate recognition to
MBBS seats had been discontinued under fresh regulations issued in 2023. File photo

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI  11.01.2026

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed medical colleges not to submit separate proposals for recognition of MBBS seats, clarifying that the annual renewal of seats itself will be treated as recognition under the current regulatory framework.

“The commission has issued the clarification after the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) started receiving applications from some medical colleges for recognition, along with fees. Now we have made it clear that there is no need for separate applications for recognition of MBBS seats and fee structure,’’ said a Union Health Ministry official. The earlier practice of granting separate recognition to MBBS seats had been discontinued following the implementation of the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023.

As per these regulations, medical colleges are required to submit only the annual disclosure report (ADR) along with the prescribed fee on the NMC portal, as and when called for. The ADR is a mandatory report, which colleges submit to the NMC with details on their infrastructure and ability to maintain standards needed to conduct the medical courses.

Once MBBS seats are approved or renewed annually, the permitted batch and the seats will be treated as recognised for that particular academic year, the NMC said in its order. Such medical colleges and institutions will be considered accredited ones for the said courses, it added.

NMC charges ₹2L one-time fee for colleges to hike MBBS seats, PG intake up 450 so far

NMC charges ₹2L one-time fee for colleges to hike MBBS seats, PG intake up 450 so far

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com  08.01.2026

New Delhi : The National Medical Commission has so far cleared around 450 additional postgraduate (PG) medical seats for the 2025–26 academic year through the appeal process. It has also introduced a non-refundable one-time registration fee of Rs 2 lakh plus 18% GST and removed the earlier cap that limited applications for an increase of up to 100 MBBS seats at a time. 

On PG admissions, Dr M K Ramesh, president of Medical Assessment and Rating Board, told TOI, PG seat approvals by the first appeal committee are cumulative and ongoing. While earlier notices cited 171 and later 262 additional seats, the total cleared through appeals so far is around 450, with further additions possible. The additional PG seats — mostly incremental increases of one to four seats per programme— span high-demand specialties, including general medicine, radiodiagnosis, dermatology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry and general surgery, across medical colleges. 

Most of these seats have gone to private medical colleges, though some govt institutions are also included, as per the available list. MARB has directed counselling authorities to include the newly sanctioned PG seats without waiting for individual Letters of Permission (LoPs), treating the consolidated list uploaded on the NMC website as a valid document for counselling. Officials said publishing consolidated appeal approvals online was introduced to speed up admissions and improve transparency. 

Separately, NMC has introduced a non-refundable onetime registration fee of Rs 2 lakh plus 18% GST for institutions seeking to start new MBBS colleges or increase undergraduate seats from the 2026–27 academic year. Explaining the move, Dr Ramesh said the fee is aimed at ensuring serious intent and accountability, stressing that establishing a medical college cannot be treated  as a routine business decision. He said the registration fee is separate from the existing application fee of Rs 5 lakh for 50 MBBS seats, which rises with higher intake, and only partly offsets the cost of inspections, including travel and stay for three to five assessors conducting multi-day assessments. On MBBS expansion, Dr Ramesh said the earlier cap allowing applications for a maximum increase of 100 MBBS seats at a time was withdrawn because it had no explicit backing in existing regulations and could not be legally sustained.