NEET PG 2024: Withdrawal Of Allotted Seats During Counselling Process Sparks Outrage Among Candidates

Mumbai: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Postgraduate (PG) 2024 counselling process has once again come under severe criticism after the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) withdrew as many as 23 seats, including Diplomate of National Board (DNB), Doctor of Medicine (MD), and Diploma courses, while the counselling process is still underway. Many of these seats had been allotted to candidates in earlier rounds, leaving aspirants in disarray.

While the authorities claimed faculty shortages as a reason for withdrawing some of these seats, several other seats were removed without any official explanation. In a parallel development, 12 new MD seats were added. While the introduction of additional seats during subsequent counselling rounds is a standard practice aimed at benefiting candidates, the withdrawal of already allotted seats has caused widespread frustration and uncertainty.

Candidates who had secured clinical seats, often considered the most sought-after in the NEET PG process, are now left stranded. The situation has sparked fears that many may have no choice but to opt for private medical institutions, where fees are prohibitively high. Aspirants and their families have raised pressing concerns about the financial burden this mishandling has imposed, with some questioning who will bear the responsibility for these additional costs.

The withdrawal of clinical seats, particularly after allotments were made in both All India and State Quota rounds, is unprecedented and has been condemned by the medical community. Unlike non-clinical seats, which often remain vacant even after multiple counselling rounds, clinical seats are in high demand and represent critical opportunities for aspiring doctors.

“I want to ask How is it fair to allocate a seat and then snatch it back after two rounds of counselling? These are not just numbers; these are there futures. If students are now forced to pay high fees for private colleges, who will compensate for this injustice,” asked Brijesh Sutaria, a Mumbai-based medical education activist.

“The decision to withdraw seats after allotment exposes a deeper problem of systemic inefficiency and misappropriation by NMC and NBEMS. Year after year, similar issues arise, leaving candidates to bear the consequences of the authorities lack of preparedness,” he added.

Candidates also expressed their anguish over what they view as systemic inefficiency and lack of accountability within the NMC and NBEMS. Many feel this debacle could have been avoided with better planning and stricter oversight of institutions before the counselling process began.

Questions have also been raised about the fairness of allocating seats and then revoking them without proper justification, a move that Sutaria described as “unprofessional and unethical”.

Sutaria called for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to intervene urgently to address the crisis and ensure transparency in the decision-making process. “The MoHFW must intervene to address this crisis, protect students' futures, and restore faith in the medical education system,” he said, adding, "It is time for the authorities to stop treating students' careers as an experiment and implement proper checks and balances to avoid further chaos.