Hyderabad: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has appealed to the Central government to ensure timely conduct of the NEET PG-2024 counselling which has been delayed due to a case pending in the Supreme Court.
In a letter to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, the doctors’ body highlighted the concerns over the prevailing uncertainty arising from the delay in the counselling. “On behalf of the IMA, we write to bring to your kind attention the growing concerns and uncertainty surrounding the delay in the NEET PG 2024 counselling process, which is currently held up due to an ongoing case in the Supreme Court. The delay in the counselling process is causing immense distress to thousands of NEET PG aspirants across the country,” the letter said.
Saying that it respects the judicial process and the need for legal clarity, the IMA urged the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to explore potential solutions to ensure that students’ academic prospects are not compromised.
Disruptions to academic calendar
The IMA cautioned that the delay could cause disruptions to the academic calendar, impacting the training and deployment of specialist doctors. It pointed out that several state counselling committees are facing uncertainty regarding the awarding of incentive marks to in-service candidates due to the non-disclosure of scores this year, which poses another obstacle to the counselling process.
The IMA also urged the authorities concerned to release a normalised score to facilitate state quota counselling.
“We, therefore, humbly request the Ministry to engage with the authorities concerned, including the Supreme Court, to find a way to expedite the resolution of the case,” the letter said.
The letter called on the government to consider taking interim steps, if needed, to start the counselling process, emphasising the importance of safeguarding the interests of both students and the healthcare system.