Doctors demand Health Ministry to withdraw reduced NEET PG 2025 cutoff percentile, warn of nationwide protests

New Delhi: Strongly opposing the National Board of Examinations (NBE) decision to reduce the qualifying cut-off percentile for the National Eligibility Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2025 exam to zero percentile, the doctors have written to the Union Health Ministry seeking its intervention.

Pointing out how the reduction of cut-off to zero percentile and allowing candidates scoring even -40 to pursue the PG medical courses and become specialist doctors is a "blow to meritocracy" and a "direct threat to patient safety and public health", the doctors under the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) and the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) have urged the Union Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda, to reverse this decision.

While FORDA has suggested setting up a high-level committee comprising the National Medical Commission (NMC) and NBE to review and standardise cutoff policies transparently, FAIMA has warned that if the authorities fail to take timely "corrective action", it will be compelled to initiate nationwide protests in consultation with the resident doctors and medical associations across the country.

NBE in a notice dated 13.01.2026, reduced the minimum qualifying percentile cut-off for counselling of the third round of National Eligibility-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2025-2026 for various categories of candidates.

Earlier, commenting on the matter, the Chief Patron of FAIMA Doctors Association, and a Health activist, Dr. Rohan Krishnan said, "The new rule in which candidates scoring the 7th, 5th and zero percentiles are eligible to become specialist doctors in the country and will be allowed to work even in big and premier hospitals like AIIMS, is very disheartening news. FAIMA Doctors Association and the medical fraternity agree that this is completely wrong and we are planning to write to the Health Ministry against this."

"This step has been taken to fill up the seats in private medical colleges, which are sold in crores of rupees. This is destroying the merit. Around 50 percent of participants fail to qualify for medical examinations abroad, such as the MRCP in the UK, the AMC in Australia, or the examinations in New Zealand, Singapore. They increase their capability, improve their skills, and reappear for the examination after learning more. Such filtering is done through these examinations is done to ensure that the health system in the country, which deals with public lives," he added

Dr. Krishnan further pointed out, "A huge number of seats in private medical colleges are not being filled because a student, who wants to be a good doctor, would not get admitted to an institute where the quality of medical education is not up to the mark, where there is a lack of faculty, lack of infrastructure. Now that such medical colleges have received permission from the National Medical Commission for PG medical seats, these institutions fail to get interested candidates to fill up the vacancies."

Explaining how these seats cost crores of rupees, Dr. Krishnan had claimed that the students are being sacrificed for the mushrooming of this business. "Probably these students are feeling happy now after being qualified. But tomorrow, an exit exam might be introduced, and these students may be stopped from becoming specialists. So, these crores of rupees will only be to benefit the private medical colleges and if this practice goes unchecked, then the healthcare system in the country will go downhill, and the Indian doctors, who get international repute and recognition, will also lose their reputation, because the entire world is laughing at this decision. We, the members of the medical fraternity, are also very much saddened by such a decision... We are planning to write to the Health Ministry to ensure that such a decision is never taken again in the future."

Commenting on the matter, President and General Secretary of FORDA, Dr Devaunshi Kaul and Dr Meet Ghonia, in a joint statement, mentioned, "NEET-PG is a merit-based gateway to specialist training. Diluting standards without data, justification, or stakeholder consultation risks compromising the quality of future healthcare and erodes public trust. FORDA is deeply concerned that this move disproportionately favours private institutions by allowing seat filling with lower-scoring candidates, prioritising profit over academic excellence.

"A blow to Meritocracy":

Expressing its dismay and disappointment regarding the NBE's recent decision to drastically slash the qualifying cutoff scores for NEET PG 2025, FORDA mentioned in the letter addressed to the Union Health Minister that this unprecedented move "undermines the sanctity of a merit-based selection process, devalues the rigorous preparation of lakhs of aspiring doctors, and poses a grave threat to the credibility of the medical profession in the eyes of the common public."

The association pointed out that NEET PG, as an entrance examination, ensures that only competent candidates enter specialised training through merit-based standards. "Aspirants sacrificed years to meet past high cutoffs, yet NBE's arbitrary reduction—without justification or consultation—compromises merit, demoralises toppers, and risks subpar candidates affecting patient care," it added.

"This decision severely erodes public trust in doctors and healthcare. Moreover, this slash favours private medical colleges by filling seats with lower-scoring candidates at exorbitant fees, prioritising institutional profits over student welfare. With faith already strained by past controversies, lowered cutoffs undermine perceptions of doctors as highly skilled experts. Patients deserve merit-based specialists, not diluted standards. Social media outrage is growing, risking widespread scepticism of the profession as elitist favouritism," it further mentioned.

Accordingly, FORDA has sought the Health Minister's intervention to revert the cutoff decision and restore the original qualifying criteria based on empirical data and expert review, institute a high-level committee comprising NMC, NBE, and resident doctor representatives to review and standardise cutoff policies transparently, and engage stakeholders in future policy changes to prevent such unilateral actions.

Nationwide protest if the decision is not revoked:

Meanwhile, FAIMA has warned to initiate a nationwide protest if "corrective action" is not taken timely. Pointing out that a prestigious and highly competitive national-level exam like NEET PG serves as the backbone of postgraduate medical education in India, FAIMA highlighted that such an unprecedented and illogical reduction in the cut-off severely undermines the sanctity, credibility, and purpose of this examination. "Allowing candidates with negative marks to qualify for postgraduate medical training cannot be justified under any academic or ethical standards," it added in the letter.

"This decision raises serious concems about the quality of future specialists and poses a direct threat to patient safety and public health, particularly affecting the poor and vulnerable sections of society who depend on government and teaching hospitals. Furthermore, such a drastic reduction creates an impression that conducting a national competitive examination like NEET-PG may soon become redundant, as admissions could be granted irrespective of merit, rank, or eligibility. Lowering educational standards merely to fill vacant seats in certain private medical colleges is unacceptable and sets a harmful precedent for the future of India's medical education system," the association said.

Strongly condemning this decision taken by MCC/NBE, FAIMA urged the Government to immediately withdraw this notification and restore a reasonable, merit-based cut-off in the larger interest of patients, medical education, and public trust. "Failing timely corrective action, FAIMA will be compelled to initiate nationwide protests in consultation with resident doctors and medical associations across the country," it warned.

Also Read: Can a -40 score make a specialist? Doctors slam NEET PG 2025 cutoff reduction, warn of merit compromise