NEET PG 2025 Counselling: No SOP for disabled candidates released yet, Doctors move NMC, Health Ministry

New Delhi: With the counselling for the National Eligibility-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) exam scheduled to commence in September, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has not yet released the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for postgraduate admission guidelines for doctors having disabilities.

Highlighting the issue, Doctors with Disabilities: Agents of Change, an association representing health professionals with disabilities in India, has written to the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the Apex Medical Commission and the Directorate of Health Services (DGHS), under the Union Health Ministry.

Apart from the demand for publishing the SOP, the association has also demanded an increase in the number of NMC-designated assessment centres, release of the training schedule for all 16 medical boards, publishing of the names of doctors with disabilities appointed in those boards, issue of comprehensive guidelines on clinical accommodations etc.

The association wrote to the authorities as the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) declared the results of the NEET PG 2025 exam on 19.08.2025, but no SOP was released for postgraduate admission guidelines for doctors with disabilities. The Apex Medical Commission is yet to release the SOP, even though the President of the PGMEB, Dr. Vijay Oza, attended the meetings of the NMC expert committee, set up to develop SOPs for PG courses and Super Speciality Courses.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that after the Supreme Court orders directing NMC to revise the existing guidelines governing the eligibility of persons with benchmark disabilities for medical admissions, NMC in July 2025 released its interim guidelines for admission of persons with disabilities in MBBS for the year 2025.

However, these guidelines were issued just two days before the MBBS counselling without issuing guidelines for stakeholder feedback and without releasing SOP for PG admission, the association has alleged.

"There was no separate direction of inclusion of doctors with disabilities in the assessment board nor the number of centres increased to all states as mandated in Supreme Court directions in Om Rathod v DGHS. There was no creation of an Appellate body by NMC & DGHS violating Supreme Court directions in Omkar Gond," it further mentioned in the letter addressed to NMC and DGHS.

Amid this situation, with the NEET PG counselling commencing soon, the association has urged NMC to take the following actions on an immediate basis:

1. Release inclusive guidelines/SOP for postgraduate training of doctors with disabilities:

The association has demanded NMC to release the SOP for NEET PG admission, in full compliance with Supreme Court orders, before the commencement of NEET PG counselling. "For example, in the absence of these SOPs, doctors with dyslexia will be forced to undergo learning disability tests designed for children, as was applied by the medical board last year. Moreover, the assessment must shift from the numerical percentage based criteria to functional competency test as directed by the Supreme Court," it mentioned.

2. Expand the number of NMC-designated assessment centres for doctors with disabilities prior to NEET PG counselling:

As per the association, this is necessary to ensure that at least one board in each State and Union Territory. The NEET PG 2025 brochure lists only 16 centres across 11 states, which are grossly inadequate, claimed the association.

"During the ongoing MBBS UG counselling, we witnessed harassment of candidates with disabilities—such as those from Odisha being forced to travel all the way to New Delhi for assessment. We have also received representations from a pregnant doctor with a disability in Hyderabad, where neither Telangana nor Andhra Pradesh has a designated centre," it added.

3. Release the training schedule for all 16 medical boards, to be conducted by doctors with disabilities before NEET PG counselling:

The association pointed out that the Supreme Court in Om Rathod judgement directed NMC & DGHS: "To enable members of the Disability Assessment Boards (DABs) to effectively apply the functional competency test, they must be adequately trained by professionals and persons with disabilities or those who have worked on disability justice." .

In terms of this, the association has urged NMC to release the training schedule for all 16 medical boards.

4. Publish the names of doctors with disabilities appointed to the medical boards at all 16 designated centres, as mandated by the Supreme Court, before NEET PG counselling

5. Setting up Appellate Medical Body:

The association has urged the Commission to set up and notify the Appellate Medical Body under the aegis of the DGHS in accordance with judicial directions before NEET PG counselling.

6. Directions to Medical Colleges to Operationalise and Publicly Disclose Details of Enabling Units, Accessible Infrastructure etc.:

It has also demanded that the PGMEB NMC must issue binding directions to all medical colleges to operationalise and publicly disclose details of Enabling Units, accessible infrastructure, reasonable accommodations, and the Equal Opportunity Policy on their official websites.

7. Comprehensive Guidelines on Clinical Accommodations:

Further, the association has urged NMC to issue comprehensive guidelines on clinical accommodations in full compliance with Supreme Court orders—similar to those issued by other regulatory bodies (GMC UK)—so that medical institutions are aware of the scope and legal enforceability of such accommodations.

"Non-compliance with binding directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court is not only legally untenable but also constitutes a violation of the constitutional rights of persons with disabilities. Should these issues remain unaddressed within a reasonable timeframe, it shall remain open to any aggrieved person or body to initiate appropriate contempt proceedings before the Hon’ble Supreme Court," it mentioned in the letter.

Also Read: Doctors urge DGHS to rectify NMC's disability guidelines, cite violation of SC orders