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FOGSI seeks rollback of NEET-PG percentile cuts, flags ‘pay-to-enter’ risk

February 13, 2026 4 min read Social Issues Polity & Governance GS2 (Social Issues Governance Education)
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What Happened

  • The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) formally urged the National Medical Commission (NMC) to review and withdraw the reductions in NEET-PG qualifying percentiles for the 2025-26 academic session.
  • The revised qualifying cut-offs were reduced to the 7th percentile for General/EWS, 5th for General PwBD, and 0th percentile for SC/ST/OBC categories, with the OBC/SC/ST cut-off score dropping to -40 marks.
  • FOGSI warned that repeatedly lowering eligibility thresholds creates a "pay-to-enter" environment that undermines meritocracy and threatens patient safety.
  • Other doctors' bodies including the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) and the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) have supported the demand, with FAIMA threatening nationwide protests if corrective action is not taken.

Static Topic Bridges

National Medical Commission (NMC) and Medical Education Regulation

The National Medical Commission was established in 2020 under the NMC Act, 2019, replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI). It regulates medical education and practice in India through four autonomous boards: the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board, Post-Graduate Medical Education Board, Medical Assessment and Rating Board, and Ethics and Medical Registration Board. The NMC has authority to determine NEET qualifying criteria and standards for medical institutions.

  • The NMC Act 2019 was enacted following recommendations of the NITI Aayog and parliamentary standing committee to replace the corruption-plagued MCI
  • NMC regulates approximately 706 medical colleges with over 1.08 lakh MBBS seats
  • The National Exit Test (NEXT) is proposed to replace NEET-PG and FMGE as a unified licensing and entrance examination
  • NMC introduced the Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum in 2019
  • The commission has the power to regulate fees for up to 50% of seats in private medical colleges

Connection to this news: FOGSI's appeal directly questions whether the NMC's decision to lower qualifying percentiles to unprecedented levels aligns with its statutory mandate to maintain medical education standards, exposing the tension between filling vacant seats and maintaining quality.

NEET-PG and Medical Postgraduate Education

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate courses (NEET-PG) is a single national-level examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) for admission to MD, MS, and PG Diploma courses across India. It was introduced to standardise the admission process and replaced the multiple state-level and institution-level examinations that existed earlier.

  • NEET-PG is conducted annually with approximately 2.3 lakh candidates appearing
  • India has approximately 67,000 PG medical seats (MD/MS/DNB combined)
  • Standard qualifying percentiles were previously set at 50th for General, 45th for PwD, and 40th for SC/ST/OBC
  • The reduction to 0th percentile (score of -40) for reserved categories means virtually any candidate who appeared can qualify
  • Unfilled PG seats, particularly in rural and less popular institutions, are cited as the reason for lowering cut-offs

Connection to this news: The drastic reduction from 40th-50th percentile to 0th-7th percentile represents a fundamental shift in qualifying standards, raising legitimate questions about whether filling vacant seats should come at the cost of postgraduate medical education quality.

Medical Education and Public Health Standards

India faces a dual challenge in medical education: an acute shortage of specialist doctors (especially in rural areas) and concerns about the quality of medical education in many institutions. The WHO recommends a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:1000; India's ratio is approximately 1:834 for registered allopathic doctors, but the distribution is severely skewed toward urban areas. Specialist availability in rural India remains critically low.

  • India has approximately 1 doctor per 834 population (NITI Aayog data), but rural areas have far fewer
  • The specialist-to-population ratio in rural India is estimated at 1:25,000 or worse
  • Approximately 60% of specialist doctors practise in urban areas serving 35% of the population
  • India adds approximately 80,000 MBBS graduates annually, but only about 30,000 secure PG seats
  • The Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (ABHIM) targets 15 health emergency centres and 602 critical care blocks in underserved areas

Connection to this news: The debate over NEET-PG percentile cuts reflects the fundamental tension between expanding the specialist workforce (by lowering barriers) and ensuring minimum competency standards for doctors who will treat patients, with patient safety as the ultimate benchmark.

Key Facts & Data

  • NEET-PG qualifying percentile reduced to 0th percentile (score of -40) for SC/ST/OBC categories
  • General/EWS cut-off reduced to 7th percentile (score of 103)
  • Previous standard: 50th percentile for General, 40th for SC/ST/OBC
  • India has approximately 67,000 PG medical seats (MD/MS/DNB)
  • Doctor-to-population ratio: approximately 1:834 nationally
  • Approximately 60% of specialists practise in urban areas
  • NMC replaced MCI in 2020 under the NMC Act, 2019
  • FOGSI, FORDA, and FAIMA have opposed the reduction