NEET PG: 'Poor' scorers sneak into competent quota in Telangana

HYDERABAD: While the medical fraternity had hoped that the recent revision in cut-off for NEET-PG candidates would be limited to filling management seats, it has, instead, eaten into the state govt's quota. At least that's what data from the third round of counselling, recently conducted by the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), reveals.

According to it, only 16% of the total 333 seats in Telangana went to management quota students this year, while a large 84% were filled through the state govt's (competent authority) quota - some by candidates with scores below 100 (of 800) in their NEET.


If that's not all, the latter secured these seats at a fraction of the cost of management quotas - 15,000 (govt colleges) and 7 lakh (private collages) as against 23 lakh.

'Serious concern'

Data shows that of the 279 competent quota seats, 42 were secured by candidates with poor marks and ranks above two lakh in the all-India entrance examination. Until last year, only those within the one-lakh rank bracket were allotted state govt quota seats, leaving the rest vacant.

In contrast, only 54 candidates were admitted through the management quota in Telangana this year.

"It is a serious concern, because a lot of undeserving candidates have found a way to secure govt quota seats that would otherwise have gone unfilled. This will adversely impact teaching standards because of the disparity in academic standard of students in one classroom," said Dr Karthik Nagula, president, Telangana Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association.

"Worse, allowing clinical and surgical seats to be filled at near-zero percentiles significantly will lower standard of PG doctors and might also put patient safety at risk in the future. Critical specialities demand quick, high-risk decision-making, and this trend could weaken emergency care services," added Dr Ajay Kumar Goud, general secretary of the Telangana Junior Residents Doctors' Association.

Incidentally, in one case in Telangana, an in-service govt doctor secured an orthopaedics PG seat at a private medical college, under the state govt's quota, despite scoring just one out of 800. Similarly, students with 10, 12, 24 and 32 marks also got picked for paediatrics, pharmacology and other critical branches - some in prestigious institutions such as Osmania Medical College and Gandhi Medical College.

Change fee structure: Docs

Instead of the revision in cut-off, Telangana doctors recommend change in fee structure to make way for better candidates. "It is the vast gap in fees between govt and management quota seats that's making PG unaffordable for many deserving students - particularly those from middle and low income families," said Dr Kiran Madhala, Secretary-General of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association. He added: "Instead, measures such as fee caps or a more balanced fee structure, strengthening scholarship and expanding the PG seats can be long-term solutions."

The govt quota fee in govt colleges is about Rs 15,000, in private colleges the same is around Rs 7 lakh for clinical branches and Rs 1.17 lakh for non-clinical subjects. Under the management quota, however, fees typically touch Rs 23 lakh per year.