Government Takes Drastic Step to Fill Empty Medical Seats
The Indian government made a significant announcement on Tuesday. It lowered the qualifying cut-off for NEET-PG 2025. This decision directly addresses a critical problem. Over 9,000 postgraduate medical seats were sitting vacant across the country. Officials expressed serious concern about wasting this valuable training capacity. India currently faces an acute shortage of doctors. Leaving these seats empty only makes the situation worse.
New Percentile Requirements Explained
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences issued the official notification. It details the revised qualifying percentiles for different candidate categories.
- General and EWS Candidates: The percentile drops sharply from 50 to just 7.
- General Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD): The requirement falls from 45 to 5 percentile.
- SC, ST, and OBC Candidates: The percentile is reduced from 40 to zero. The corresponding cut-off score is set at -40 out of 800, accounting for negative marking.
This revision dramatically expands eligibility for counseling and admissions. Its primary goal is to ensure every available PG seat finds a qualified student.
Addressing a National Healthcare Crisis
Officials provided clear reasoning behind this unprecedented move. India boasts between 65,000 and 70,000 PG medical seats. Allowing nearly one in seven seats to remain vacant has severe consequences.
"You can't afford to let 9,000-10,000 PG seats go to waste," a senior official stated emphatically. These vacancies weaken major teaching hospitals. They place immense strain on healthcare delivery systems. Government institutions suffer the most, as they rely heavily on resident doctors for patient care.
The Indian Medical Association had raised the alarm. On January 12, the IMA wrote to Union Health Minister JP Nadda. They urged a rational revision of cut-offs to prevent large-scale vacancies. The government's decision followed this representation directly.
Merit List vs. Competence Assessment
NBEMS officials clarified the purpose of the NEET-PG exam. It is designed to generate a merit list for admissions. It is not a tool to reassess the competence of doctors who have already cleared their MBBS and university examinations.
The official acknowledged that such sharp percentile reductions often attract criticism. However, he pointed out that the admission cycle was already delayed. "Earlier, cut-offs were lowered in stages. This time, we are late. The focus is to fill seats and avoid losing national medical resources," he explained.
The board made an important clarification. Changing the cut-off does not alter individual exam scores or ranks. It simply determines who becomes eligible to participate in the counseling process. The percentile system ranks already qualified doctors. Lowering the threshold ensures enough candidates are available to fill all PG seats.
Impact of Vacant Seats on Healthcare
The IMA had warned about the domino effect of vacant PG seats. It directly worsens resident doctor shortages. This increases the workload for existing medical staff. It disrupts academic schedules and, most critically, hurts patient care. The problem is especially severe in government and peripheral hospitals, where resources are already stretched thin.
This year, approximately 2.4 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET-PG examination. The previously high cut-off meant thousands of seats would have remained unfilled. The government's intervention seeks to correct this imbalance and strengthen India's medical workforce for the future.
