Counselling Uncertainty Doubles Workload for Medical Professionals
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday criticized the government for delays in NEET PG counselling, despite results being declared in August 2023. With the National Medical Commission (NMC) still conducting the process, around 80,000 medical aspirants remain uncertain about their future.
However, beyond the frustration of delayed admissions, a silent crisis is emerging: resident doctors are overwhelmed, working nearly twice their usual shifts due to the absence of new postgraduate batches. This has led to exhaustion, burnout, and concerns over patient care quality.
Overworked Resident Doctors Struggle to Cope
Hospitals across India are facing severe staffing shortages, forcing existing resident doctors to work 24-30 hours straight to compensate for missing junior doctors.
“Every time counselling gets delayed, resident doctors suffer. We are already short-staffed, and now, without the incoming batch, the workload has become unbearable,” said a second-year medical student from a government hospital in Delhi.
The NEET PG 2024 exam, originally scheduled for June 23, was rescheduled to August 11 due to concerns over paper leaks in the undergraduate NEET exam. With the 2025 NEET PG exam set for June 15, students preparing for the next cycle are under additional stress.
Aspirants Stuck in Limbo, Forced to Delay Life Plans
Many NEET PG aspirants have been forced to put their careers and personal lives on hold due to the repeated delays.
“We’ve already spent months waiting. Some of us quit jobs or stopped practising to focus on preparation, but now we’re stuck with no clarity on when our PG courses will begin,” said a NEET PG aspirant from Dibrugarh, Assam.
Another aspirant from Jaipur shared, “I feel completely stuck. My wedding was planned for later this year, assuming I would have secured admission by now. My family is pressuring me to reconsider, but I don’t have any answers. It’s heartbreaking.”
With each delay, cut-off marks drop, allowing students who initially didn’t qualify to secure seats. “The system seems to reward those who wait rather than those who worked hard from the start,” said an aspirant from Lucknow.
Private Colleges Benefit Amid Chaos
As government hospitals suffer staff shortages, private medical colleges are profiting. With PG seats costing ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore, management quota and NRI admissions are filling up faster due to the uncertainty in government institutions.
“Private colleges are capitalizing on desperate students who don’t want to waste another year,” said a resident doctor from Kerala. Lowering cut-offs has also raised concerns about the quality of future specialists, as students who originally didn’t meet merit-based criteria are now securing seats.
Disrupted Academic Calendar Puts Healthcare at Risk
The delays have thrown the medical academic calendar off track, pushing back clinical training, research, and even next year’s admissions.
“This affects not just students but the entire healthcare system. The ultimate sufferers are patients, who face a shortage of trained specialists,” said a third-year surgical resident in Mumbai.
Doctors and students are demanding policy reforms and stricter counselling timelines to prevent repeated delays and ensure government institutions do not continue bearing the brunt of these inefficiencies.
While exhausted doctors struggle, patients suffer from staff shortages, and aspirants remain in limbo, private medical colleges continue to profit from the ongoing crisis.
