A significant controversy has emerged in India's medical education sector as nearly 140 candidates from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) have secured postgraduate seats in clinical specialties with annual tuition fees ranging from Rs 25 lakh to over Rs 1 crore. This development has raised serious questions about the credibility of EWS certificates and the fairness of the admission process.
The EWS Certificate Controversy
According to recent data, these EWS candidates, whose annual family income is supposed to be less than Rs 8 lakh, have managed to obtain seats through management and NRI quotas in private medical colleges. The pattern reveals that candidates initially apply for the NEET PG examination as EWS candidates but later switch to NRI or management quota seats when their ranks are too low for regular admission.
A postgraduate trainee doctor expressed frustration, stating, "They apply for PG NEET exam as EWS candidates and when their ranks turn out to be very low, they become NRIs and pay fees in crores or take management quota seats that can also cost more than Rs 1 crore for the entire course. This can happen only in India." The doctor further highlighted that this issue occurred last year as well, yet no government inquiry has been conducted into candidates with potentially fake EWS certificates who adversely affect deserving candidates' chances.
Notable Cases of High-Cost Admissions
Specific instances highlight the concerning trend. An EWS candidate with a NEET rank lower than 1.1 lakh secured an NRI quota seat for MD in Dermatology at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Belagavi, where annual tuition fees exceed Rs 1 crore for this specialty.
Similarly, another EWS candidate with a rank below 84,000 opted for an NRI quota seat for MD in General Medicine at Vinayaka Missions Medical College in Puducherry, with tuition fees over Rs 55 lakh per year.
At Santosh Medical College, three EWS candidates secured postgraduate seats in high-cost specialties including Radio Diagnosis (Rs 76 lakh per year), General Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology (both costing Rs 50 lakh per year).
The pattern continues at Dr DY Patil Medical College in Navi Mumbai, where four out of 16 management quota seats for postgraduation in General Medicine were taken by EWS candidates, despite the course costing Rs 48.5 lakh annually. Another EWS candidate secured a seat for MS Orthopaedics at the same college with annual tuition fees of Rs 62.5 lakh.
Broader Admission Context
The first round of seat allotment in medical colleges has been completed, with allocations announced for approximately 27,000 candidates. There are over 52,000 postgraduate seats available across India, including MD, MS, and PG diploma seats in both government and private medical colleges and hospitals.
Over 2.4 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET PG entrance examination held in August, with nearly 1.3 lakh qualifying for admission. The significant number of EWS candidates opting for extremely expensive seats despite their supposed economic disadvantage has sparked concerns about potential misuse of reservation benefits and the need for stricter verification of EWS certificates.
