Mumbai: The medical fraternity has strongly criticised the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) over the conduct of NEET PG 2025, following its decision to allow candidates with zero percentile—and even negative scores, reportedly as low as –40 marks—to be eligible for postgraduate counselling. The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Associations (FORDA) has issued a scathing statement, describing the situation as a “system in crisis” that has jeopardised the futures of more than two lakh medical graduates and posed serious risks to India’s healthcare system.
FORDA’s Sharp Warning
According to FORDA, NEET PG 2025 was marred by administrative lapses, lack of transparency, and policy inconsistencies that undermined the principle of merit-based admissions. The controversy, the association said, began in March 2025 when NBEMS announced that the examination would be conducted in two shifts. This decision sparked widespread concern among aspirants and medical bodies due to known variations in question difficulty across shifts and the absence of transparency regarding the score normalisation process used to equalise results.
“Candidates were not seeking concessions, but clarity and fairness,” FORDA said, alleging that NBEMS repeatedly refused to disclose its normalisation methodology despite sustained demands from stakeholders.
Following multiple petitions by aspirants, the issue reached the Supreme Court. On May 29–30, 2025, the apex court reportedly described the two-shift format for high-stakes examinations as “arbitrary” and “unreliable,” observing that normalisation across multiple shifts carried serious risks to merit-based selection.
Demand for Transparency Ignored
However, FORDA noted that the relief came at a significant cost. To conduct the examination in a single shift across nearly 900 centres nationwide, NBEMS postponed NEET PG from June 15 to August 3, 2025. The delay, the association said, prolonged uncertainty by nearly two months, intensifying psychological distress, financial strain, and career stagnation for aspirants and their families.
FORDA warned that the repercussions extend beyond individual candidates. India already faces a shortage of specialist doctors, particularly in rural and underserved areas, and flawed admission processes directly affect patient care, diagnostic timelines, and public health outcomes. Repeated delays, high examination fees, discriminatory centre allocation, denial of answer keys, and the introduction of “zero cut-offs,” the association alleged, have eroded trust in the system and pushed young doctors toward emigration.
Demand for Accountability
Calling NEET PG 2025 a defining institutional failure, FORDA demanded accountability from NBEMS and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, along with urgent reforms to restore transparency, fairness, and credibility.
“The medical community is watching. The courts are watching. The nation is watching,” the statement concluded.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
