Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 4: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for strict safeguards to protect merit and minimum academic standards in postgraduate medical admissions, cautioning that the proposed shift to a rank-based system for NEET-PG and NEET-SS examinations should not become a mechanism to fill vacant seats by compromising medical competence and patient safety.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has given in-principle approval to replacing the existing percentile-based qualifying system with a rank-based merit system for admissions to postgraduate and super-speciality medical courses. Under the proposed arrangement, examination results would declare candidates' ranks instead of percentile scores.
The proposed changes have not yet been formally notified. The NMC is expected to issue draft regulations for consultation with stakeholders before finalising the new admission framework.
Welcoming the move towards a more transparent, predictable and time-bound counselling process, the IMA said changing the qualifying system alone would not resolve the fundamental problems responsible for vacant postgraduate medical seats.
"Medical education is not merely about filling seats; it is about creating competent specialists who will be responsible for human lives," IMA president Dr Anil Kumar J Nayak said, emphasising that merit and minimum academic competency must remain non-negotiable.
He cautioned against making candidates eligible for postgraduate medical education through arbitrary relaxation of qualifying standards merely to ensure that all available seats are filled.
The proposed rank-based system is part of the recommendations submitted by a 12-member expert committee to the Supreme Court. The recommendations aim to reduce delays between successive counselling rounds and ensure that the admission process is completed within the stipulated academic calendar.
The issue of vacant postgraduate medical seats has remained a major concern, particularly following repeated reductions in qualifying percentiles during counselling. Such relaxations have attracted criticism from medical professionals, who have warned that candidates with extremely low or even negative scores could become eligible for admission.
The IMA maintained that authorities should investigate the reasons behind vacant seats instead of repeatedly lowering eligibility requirements.
IMA headquarters finance secretary Dr Piyush Jain said several structural issues were discouraging medical graduates from opting for certain postgraduate courses and institutions.
He identified disproportionately high tuition fees, inadequate infrastructure, shortages of teaching faculty, disparities in stipends and unattractive working conditions in certain specialities as some of the major factors contributing to unfilled seats.
Jain said meaningful reforms were necessary to make less-preferred medical specialities and institutions more attractive to aspiring postgraduate students. Improving hospital facilities, ensuring adequate faculty strength and addressing differences in stipends would help create a more balanced admission system.
The association also called for a transparent and uniform counselling mechanism, with all rounds completed within the prescribed academic calendar. It said delays and uncertainty in the admission process could adversely affect candidates and disrupt the commencement of academic sessions.
The IMA further urged the NMC to consult all stakeholders, including medical associations, medical colleges, faculty members and resident doctors, before finalising the proposed regulations.
Dr Nayak said the association supported progressive reforms in medical education but stressed that their primary objective should be to strengthen healthcare standards rather than merely improve admission statistics.
The proposed rank-based system is also expected to eliminate the need for separate permission from a competent authority to reduce qualifying percentiles during subsequent counselling rounds when seats remain vacant.
Under the existing percentile-based mechanism, qualifying thresholds have been lowered in certain admission cycles to accommodate more candidates and fill unoccupied seats. The proposed system seeks to simplify the process by making ranks the basis for determining merit and eligibility.
However, the IMA reiterated that any changes to the admission framework must ensure that candidates entering postgraduate and super-speciality courses possess the minimum academic competence required for advanced medical training and future clinical responsibilities.
The association said every postgraduate medical seat should be filled through a fair and transparent selection process, but never at the cost of merit, medical competence and patient safety.