NEET UG 2025 Should Have Age Restriction: FAIMA Chairman

In an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com, the Chairman of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), Dr Manish Jangra, shared his insights on the NEET UG 2025 application, NEET PG controversy, problems faced by medical students in India and other major highlights that need to be addressed urgently. Read the details below. 

Q. NEET PG has become a central focus for medical students in India. How does FAIMA view the NEET PG exam, and are there any reforms or changes you would like to see in the process?

Dr Manish: We have been seeing it for the last many years around after COVID. Basically, there is a lot of irregularity in conducting the NEET PG exam due to the timing. At times the government postpones the exam without prior notice.

Students were ready for the exam at the last moment, the NEET PG exam has been postponed for the last three to four years. It is happening on a regular basis. This time It was held in the two shifts without proper arrangements. This shows the inefficiency of NBE in conducting an exam which is given by lakhs of the students.  In two shifts, you cannot judge the student because at part. Students also complained that in the morning shift, the exam was hard and unique. Paper was easy in the second shift, reportedly. 

So it should be abolished. There should be a proper timing of exams. There should not be any last-minute changes. Many people wait for the exam because after the exam they have to join their jobs also. So that's why there are a lot of areas where reformation can be done in the NBE and a more accountable body shall be responsible for the examination. 

Q. NEET PG counselling process has been delayed for academic session 2024-25. How adversely does this affect the academic session? 

Dr Manish: The NEET PG exam was delayed, and with that, they have delayed the NEET PG counselling. It will affect the people who want to join their duties because after NEET PG counselling, they will join PG programs in their respective medical colleges and they will be given a stipend monthly. But they have to wait for the next few more months to join their posts. And between these points, they can't join any private medical hospital or any government Medical College for the junior residency, because nobody gives you on the job for one month or two. So that's why it will affect the middle class, lower-middle-class students, much, much more. And mental trauma also will be there for every student, be it from the middle class or rich-class aspirants.

According to me, NBE obviously charging so much money for this exam. Still, many times they failed to conduct exams properly, failed to conduct the exam and counselling. So NBE should be demolished actually, either it should be made more accountable, or the people should be changed. 

Q. NEET UG exam 2024 has been under several allegations including paper leak, result manipulation and so on. What steps the examination body should take to avoid such allegations in future? 

Dr Manish: Basically the NEET UG exam 2024 was leaked and many people claimed that they also had the papers before the exam day. You can't find out how many students benefited from it, how many students downloaded it and how many students read it. So even you can see when the government announced another exam for one centre, how many students came to take the exam? 

There should be some inquiry, and it should be cancelled, Even if there is a 1% doubt of the paper leaking, then it should be cancelled, because these aspirants will become doctors in the near future, and nobody will want to get treatment from these doctors. I also feel Indian healthcare system will suffer if such types of students enter into this profession and we cannot assess how many of them are. 

The body that is conducting this exam hires some private centres. The private centres for exams like NEET PG do some manipulation with some local examiners and fraternities. Here, the government should be very vigilant, and the government should cancel the license of such centres also, and they misbehave with the students. They also do some setting under the table.

Q. Several Medicos have requested NTA to reconsider the NEET UG 2025 age limit and multi-session examination format. What is your intake on that? 

Dr Manish: Yes, there should be some age limit in the NEET examination because if someone wants to appear in it; a maximum of six to eight years are enough for him to appear for it. 

Moreover, both NEET UG and PG should be single-shift examinations because in single-shift you can properly assess the students. In multi-session examinations, some sessions can be difficult and some easy. Hence, conducting the NEET exam in a single shift can remove the chances of discrepancies. 

Q. What policy changes in India’s healthcare system are required? 

Dr Manish: There are a lot of medical colleges that are opening these days. First of all, the government should focus on quality rather than quantity, because, you know, it's the need of the hour. 

I have seen a lot of medical colleges that don't have a faculty. Some private colleges have ghost faculty. They just are on the papers. And, you know, infrastructure is very poor. Even there are a lot of hospitals in the capital of India that are still not following the norms of NMC. I don't know why NMC is giving permission to such medical colleges. So it should be focused on because if the quality is poor, then Doctors who come from that college are also poor, and with that, ultimately, it will affect our patients' health.

Q. There has been a lot of debate around the shortage of doctors in rural India. What is your intake on this?

Dr Manish: Yes, this is true. There is a shortage of doctors in rural India. And the doctors hardly want to stay in rural India, the reason behind that is in rural India, the security is not there. Facilities are not there, if a doctor wants to stay there, there should be some facility for some good with some security. Because in you know, rural areas, we have seen a lot of incidents, the person hitting the doctor, violence and a lot of issues. If you provide facilities to the doctor, they will serve happily. 

Q. How does FAIMA support doctors who face workplace challenges, including long working hours, burnout, and underpayment in some cases?

Dr Manish: When we get some incidents of violence in our notice, we directly approach the authorities. When we if in details of some state, we approach the State Health Secretary, or we try to approach the State Health Minister also. Or if it is some MCD hospital, we try to contact the hospital or the MCT Commissioner also.

We raise our issue to the media to help us, and we can just sometimes protest also in front of the office of the health ministry so that the necessary steps can be taken. 

Read more:

• NEET UG 2024 Issue Could Have Been Stopped if Exam was Online: FORDA President Aviral Mathur
• NEET PG Controversy Highlights Incompetency of NBE, Health Ministry: FAIMA President
• NEET UG Must Be Held in CBT Mode: FAIMA VP Sandeep Dagar