Are the medical seats for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses are going in increase in India? Know what latest news reports say about increase in NEET UG and NEET PG seats..
New Delhi: One of toughest yet most common professions in the world, especially India, is Medicine. In India, to become a doctor, medical aspirants must clear the single-level national examination, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) both at undergraduate (NEET UG) and postgraduate (NEET PG) level. Thousands of aspirants appear for this examination, with the dream to get through their desired college, but only a selected few get the actual opportunity to do so. In a latest news update, there may be an increase in the NEET UG and NEET PG seats. A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has highlighted the same in its report ‘Quality of Medical Education in India’. Here’s all you need to know…
NEET UG, NEET PG Seats To Increase?
As mentioned earlier, The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in its its 157th report “Quality of Medical Education in India” presented in Rajya Sabha noted that the current situation regarding medical seats both in undergraduate and postgraduate courses is a critical issue that warrants immediate attention.
There is a need to significantly increase medical seats in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, a parliamentary committee said, noting that the government’s existing scheme of establishing new medical colleges attached to district or referral hospitals can help in achieving this goal.
Parliamentary Standing Committee Report
“With an annual influx of approximately 2 million aspiring medical students at UG and only 1/20 times available seats, the demand far exceeds the supply, similarly, the number of available seats at PG level is far less than the demand,” the committee said in its report. The committee also acknowledged the urgency of addressing this challenge while maintaining the quality of medical education at its highest standard.
‘Optimal Use Of Existing Infrastructure Necessary’
The panel further recommended to the Union health ministry that it is essential to make optimal use of the existing infrastructure. Ensuring that all available resources and facilities are utilized efficiently can help accommodate a larger number of students without compromising the quality of education.
The committee has taken note of the detailed Minimum Standards Regulations (UG-MSR) notified on August 162023. While examining the subject, it came across several concerns over some of the guidelines for opening of a new Medical College and also regarding permission to increase the number of undergraduate seats. The permission for an increase in MBBS seats will be granted for 50, 100 and 150 seats from the academic year 2024-25.
The committee noted that based on the guidelines for 200 and 250 seats at various places have provisions for infrastructure and faculty positions. it further said that many medical colleges have 200 and 250 seats adding that the ideal batch size for a faculty to impart teaching is 150. The committee, however, stated that as per the guidelines, given the infrastructure and faculty position required in place, a college, whether old or new, may be considered for granting permission to increase, in phases, the undergraduate seats up to a maximum of 250.
The NEET UG and NEET PG seats will be increased or not, the recommendations of the committee will be taken up by the Ministry or not, that is not yet confirmed and only time will tell.
(Inputs from PTI)