NEET PG Counselling delay: Doctors' body urges DGHS to allow voluntary tenure extension of outgoing PG batch 2023-26
New Delhi: Pointing out that due to the delay in the National Eligibility-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2026 counselling, the joining of the new PG batch is pending, a doctors' body has urged the Directorate General of Health Sciences (DGHS) to consider allowing voluntary extension of the outgoing PG batch (2023-2026) to tackle the patient load.
Writing to the DGHS recently, the doctors under the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) pointed out that the outgoing postgraduate (PG) students have completed their final MD/MS examinations on 03.09.2026. Meanwhile, due to the delays in the NEET-PG counselling, the joining of the new 2026-2029 PG batch is still pending.
The association pointed out that, considering the situation, DGHS (Government of India) has recently permitted central institutes to extend the outgoing PG residents' tenure voluntarily until the new batch joins, to ensure continuity of clinical and academic services.
"In view of the above, and to prevent disruption in clinical services, teaching programmes, and laboratory work in our institutions, we respectfully request your office to issue a similar notification for all PG institutes under the administrative control of DGHS, Government of NCT of Delhi," FORDA requested the DGHS.
FORDA has mentioned that such an extension may be granted on a purely voluntary basis, subject to voluntary participation of the PG residents- meaning that only those PG residents who willingly opt for extension should be considered.
The association has also insisted that regular stipend and other applicable benefits will have to be given to the outgoing PGs on extension, as per the existing rules.
"This measure will help maintain patient care, academic and diagnostic services, and reduce workload on existing residents until the new batch joins," FORDA mentioned in the letter.
Speaking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Meet Ghonia, General Secretary of FORDA, said, "NEET PG counselling delays should not translate into disruption of patient care or excessive workload on existing residents. We have requested that outgoing PG residents be given an optional extension until the new batch joins, with continuation of their regular stipend and applicable benefits. The extension must remain strictly voluntary, ensuring that no resident is compelled to continue beyond their tenure."
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that back in 2021, taking note of the "extraordinary situation" due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, the Central Government had directed all the medical colleges and hospitals operative under the central government to extend the services of the Postgraduate resident doctors until the fresh batch of students join the institutes. This decision was taken to ensure that there would not be any shortage of Residents to deal with the pandemic.
