485 UG, 247 PG Medical Seats Vacant Despite Reduction of NEET PG Percentile to Zero: Reports

In the Rajya Sabha today, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar disclosed that there are currently 485 vacant undergraduate and 247 postgraduate medical seats, according to the National Medical Commission. According to Career360, Pawar claimed that the National Eligibility Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG) percentile has been decreased to zero for the first time in response to queries regarding the number of empty medical seats and adjustments in the admission procedure for the current academic year.

Additionally, it was questioned if students with much lower scores were able to get places in PG programmes and if general category candidates with lower scores than those from reserved categories were admitted.

“In the current academic year, the National Medical Commission has reported a total of 485 vacant undergraduate seats,” the minister said in response to all of the questions at once. All NEET-PG candidates were eligible for counselling since the NEET PG percentile has been modified to zero for PG admissions to fill those vacant seats. Notably, to fill the 247 reported vacancies within the All India Quota, special stray vacancy rounds for postgraduate counselling were also held in a timely manner.

Pawar further stated that the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) monitors NEET UG and PG counselling for medical courses in accordance with a Supreme Court-approved admission structure.

The number of medical colleges has increased by 82 per cent, from 387 in 2014 to 706 at this point in time, pursuant to a different reply as reported by Career360. The number of MBBS seats has also risen by 112 per cent, from 51,348 in 2014 to 1,08,940 now, while the number of PG seats has increased by 127 per cent, from 31,185 in 2014 to 70,674 presently.

There are around 70,000 PG medical seats available in India, with 2,000-2500 seats remaining empty each year. With this in mind, the NEET PG percentile was reduced to zero in September this year to ensure that no PG seat remains unfilled at the completion of the counselling process.