Doctors believe that transitioning NEET-PG to a ranking system will not solve structural problems in medicine

Significant changes may occur in the process of admission to postgraduate medical programs as the National Medical Council (NMC) has given preliminary approval to transition from the existing percentile-based system to a ranking-based system for NEET-PG and NEET-Super Speciality (SS) counseling.

A twelve-member expert committee, established to analyze the NEET-PG admission and counseling process, informed the Supreme Court in its report on Tuesday that the committee is working on a new regulation whereby only rankings will be announced, and percentage scores will no longer be indicated.

The proposal received preliminary approval at the NMC meeting on September 23, which is confirmed by a letter dated October 1, 2026, from the NMC secretary to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS).

Consideration of Petitions in the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is examining various petitions challenging the Central Government's decision to sharply reduce the threshold percentages for NEET-PG 2025. Under the revised criteria, the qualifying score for the general category was lowered from 276 to 103, and for SC/ST/OBC categories—from 235 to minus 40.

The report was submitted following detailed discussions and consideration of proposals by senior advocate Maninder Singh, who is acting as an amicus curiae before the Supreme Court.

The report states: 'The NMC is in the process of issuing new rules, which are not yet finalized, in which only a ranking system will be adopted for NEET PG and SS counseling; percentage scores will not be published in the results; candidates will only be assigned ranks. The letter dated October 1 was written by the NMC secretary to the Director General of Health Services, informing about the proposal to change the existing percentage-based system to a merit-based ranking system for NEET-PG and NEET-SS, which is under review by the Commission.'

The report also mentions that the committee provided preliminary approval to the proposed changes to address issues arising from the current system.

Regarding the reduction in minimum requirements, the report emphasizes that 'the sanctity of the NEET examinations must be maintained, and the minimum standards of qualification in postgraduate medical education must not be diluted to such an extent as to allow candidates with extremely inadequate or negative performance to apply for admission; the value of competitive examinations should not be reduced to an administrative formality.'

Furthermore, the report proposed eliminating any salary discrimination between residents in clinical and non-clinical specialties, as well as providing incentives for doctors to work in rural areas.

A twelve-member expert commission has prepared and submitted a report to the Supreme Court with proposals for significant changes to the NEET-PG and NEET-SS admission systems. According to this report, the ranking-based system is recognized as fairer and more appropriate.

The commission recommended abolishing the current percentile-based qualification system and replacing it with a meritocracy system based on rank. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has preliminarily approved the implementation of this system starting in 2027, although the final rules still require approval.

In its recommendations, the commission emphasized that significant lowering of minimum admissibility standards should not occur when filling vacant seats, and any relaxation of the rules is unacceptable. Furthermore, important proposals were presented regarding the reduction of fees for non-clinical postgraduate courses and exemption from service obligations.

Previously, the NEET-PG system was often criticized for excessively lowering the percentile threshold under the pretext of filling vacancies, which led to legal challenges before the Supreme Court. The court expressed concerns that such lowering of thresholds would negatively affect the quality of medical education. This expert commission was formed specifically at the direction of the Supreme Court and has now presented its new report.

The Supreme Court has granted applicants time to respond to this report and has postponed the hearing on the case for further consideration.

Candidates who have secured seats in postgraduate medical education programs through the NEET-PG counselling 2026 are experiencing issues with the online joining process.

Reports from New Delhi indicate that applicants allocated seats for postgraduate medical education based on the NEET-PG counselling 2026 are encountering difficulties completing the online registration procedure. Some note that the responsible staff listed on the official portal are unavailable or have incorrect contact details.

Candidates who have decided to accept their allotted seat are facing problems, while those choosing the 'float' option wish to maintain their current allocation, remaining candidates for advancement in subsequent rounds. Applicants who need to complete online reporting and submit documents demand timely verification and clear information from the relevant educational institutions.