NEET shows contradiction of supply & demand

The results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test declared by the Central Board of Secondary Education on Monday has brought to light the contradiction in the increasing demand for the MBBS course and shrinking number of seats available as the Medical Council of India (MCI) refusing permission to even the existing medical colleges to increase the number of seats.

The number of seats available for admission in the coming 2018-19 academic session has come down from 60,000 last year to nearly 54,000 as the government refused permission to 68 new medical colleges and did not allow 82 others to continue admissions in the first year of MBBS. Even the 54,000 seats include 2360 seats added by grant of permission to 17 new colleges, and six colleges given permission to have a one-time increased intake.

With 7.14 lakh students declared eligible for admission to the 54,000 and odd MBBS seats means at the most one in 13 eligible student can hope to secure a seat. Those running the private medical colleges say the number of medical seats had gone up to 70,000 two years ago but the number is shrinking because of the MCI’s refusal to see the urgency of the country requiring at least five lakh more doctors.

The highest number of 76,778 candidates have succeeded in NEET test from Uttar Pradesh, followed by 72,000 from Kerala and 70,000 from Maharashtra. NEET is conducted for admissions in MBBS and BDS (dentistry) courses. The government keeps announcing to have more medical colleges but their number is

The highest number of 76,778 candidates have succeeded in NEET test from Uttar Pradesh, followed by 72,000 from Kerala and 70,000 from Maharashtra.

rather going down because of the non-availability of the teaching faculty as most of the doctors with post-graduation prefer to join the private hospitals on fat salary than slog in the teaching job, a health ministry official said explaining the paradox of falling number of the medical seats despite so much demand.

Every state government is complaining that their plans to open new medical colleges are struck down by the MCI. The Jammu and Kashmir government had planned to start five medical colleges with the intake of 100 in each, but they just got a letter of denial of permission from the Health Ministry.