Health ministry reduces NEET PG 2023 cut-off to zero across all categories

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Wednesday reduced the qualifying percentile for NEET PG 2023 to be eligible for counselling to zero across all categories.

Candidates who appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2023 exam will now be eligible to participate in the counselling process. "It is for the information to candidates that the qualifying percentile for PG Courses (Medical/ Dental) for NEET PG counselling 2023 has been reduced to 'zero' across all categories by MoHFW," said a notice issued by Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), Directorate of Health Services, Government of India. A fresh registration and choice filling for round-3 of PG counselling will be reopened for the candidates who have become eligible after the reduction of percentile.

These candidates can register and participate in round-3 of counselling. The candidates who are already registered need not register again. However, they will be allowed to edit their choices, the notice said. A fresh schedule for round-3 onwards for PG counselling will be put up on the MCC website soon, it said. Recently, the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) made an appeal to the Union Health Ministry to consider lowering the cut-off score for the NEET-PG 2023 exam. “Over the past years, we have witnessed a persistent challenge in the form of vacant seats in medical institutions across the nation, even after multiple rounds of counselling for NEET-PG. This is a matter of great concern not only for the healthcare system but also for aspiring medical professionals who are eager to contribute to our nation's healthcare infrastructure," FORDA said in its letter.

In light of this issue, "we humbly request your kind attention to consider the possibility of decreasing the cut-off score for the NEET-PG 2023 examination", it said. By lowering the cut-off, FORDA said, it can ensure that a "larger number of eligible candidates are given the opportunity to fill these vacant seats". Recently, the Indian Medical Association had written to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya demanding a reduction in the NEET-PG 2023 cut-off percentile by up to 30 per cen