NBE Plans to Increase PG Medical Seats to 25,000 by 2030: Report
Mangaluru: Bringing good news to the postgraduate medical aspirants, the National Board of Examinations is planning to increase PG medical seats from 17,000 to 25,000 in the next few years.
Currently, the Board has around 17,000 PG medical seats. "We aim to increase to at least 25,000 by the end of 2030. However, there are challenges ahead. The board is strongly focusing on achieving a UG/PG ratio of 1:1. This not only enhances access to human resources but also increases the quality of medical education and healthcare. We want to improve the overall healthcare system by achieving a 1:1 ratio. Many developed western countries have a 1:1 ratio (UG/PG)," President of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), Dr. Abhijat Sheth, has informed that the Economic Times.
Apart from the increase in the PG seats, he also discussed the rationale behind two shifts in the NEET PG exam and the focus on PG specialities that are more required in the country.
Dr. Sheth played an instrumental role in increasing the NBEMS PG seats from approximately 4,500 in 2016 to 17,000 to date. Speaking to the Economic Times, he explained that this was possible because the Board removed unnecessary barriers, especially by making the accreditation process simpler. Apart from increasing the number of seats, he also focused on enhancing skill training, digital eLearning, and faculty development programmes.
Commenting on this, he added, "With the advancement of technology and the increase in the complexity of medical treatment and diseases, we need to extend the scope of medical education beyond physical education, ideally complemented by skill and virtual learning."
Dr. Sheth further added that for the benefit of the Indian population, they are also planning to increase PG as well as diploma courses in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and critical care.
"These are the demanded specialities in the country. "We have increased diploma courses from the existing nine to 10," Dr. Sheth mentioned.
Regarding the decision to conduct NEET PG in two shifts, he referred to the K Radhakrishnan committee reviewed the process and recommended holding the exam only in govt-approved institutes and TCS-approved centres. Resultantly, the number of centres available at NBE came down from 1,000 centres until 2023 to 450 centres. This made it impossible to conduct a single-shift exam.
