Relief from Health Ministry: NEET SS 2021 cut-off to be lowered, special mop-up round to be held

New Delhi: Bringing good news to the candidates of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Super Specialty (NEET-SS) Examination 2021, the Union Health Ministry has decided to lower the cut-off percentile and conduct a special mop-up round for filling up around 1,000 vacant seats belonging to several branches of Super-Specialty.

This long awaited decision has been taken by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) after it took note of the fact that even after the completion of the mop-up counselling for NEET-SS 2021, 930 super specialty seats are still lying vacant including several seats belonging to Government institutes.

Therefore, writing to the National Medical Commission (NMC) yesterday, the Under Secretary of the Government of India, Chandan Kumar mentioned in a letter, "Madam, I am directed to refer to subject mentioned above and to inform that after conduct two rounds of counselling and one mop up round of counselling. 930 super speciality scats (534 D.M/ M.Ch and 396 DNB seats) are still lying vacant. All these seats are clinical super speciality seats including some from Government medical colleges."

Announcing its decision of lowering the cut-off, the Ministry further stated in the letter directed to the NMC Secretary, "The matter was examined in the Ministry. in consultation with Dte.GHS, and it has been decided to conduct a special mop-up round to fill tip the remaining super specialty seats after reducing the percentile appropriately."

Therefore, the Health Ministry asked for comments from the NMC in this regard and mentioned in the letter, "You are therefore. requested to have the matter examined and to provide comments thereon at the earliest to enable this Office proceed further."

Medical Dialogues had recently raised this issue of vacant Super-specialty seats after the completion of all the rounds of NEET-SS 2021 Counselling. Due to the high cut-off marks, around 1,000 Super Specialty Seats are lying vacant. These seats are not only from branches that are least sought after but hundreds of seats belonging to coveted branches such as DM Cardiology (DMCD) and DNBSS Cardiology (DCRD) and those in the super-specializations of Neurology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology even oncology that are also lying vacant.