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Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
NEET PG 2025 exam centre confusion explained: What's forcing hundreds of Tamil Nadu aspirants to travel across states?
NBEMS allots NEET PG exam centres located 600 km away from resident cities, sparking concerns among aspirants. (AI generated image) Hundreds of medical graduates from Tamil Nadu are facing unexpected hurdles ahead of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2025, scheduled for August 3. Despite selecting exam centres within their home state, many have been allotted far-flung locations in Andhra Pradesh, including towns like Narasaraopet and Rajahmundry, nearly 600 km from Chennai. The unexpected allotment has sparked frustration, with aspirants citing logistical strain, safety concerns, and financial burden. The situation has also reignited demands for a more transparent and region-sensitive exam centre allocation system. Why are Tamil Nadu students being sent out of state? According to the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), Tamil Nadu has 24 approved NEET-PG centres including major cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Kancheepuram. Yet, nearly about 900 to 1,000 candidates from Tamil Nadu have been assigned centres in Andhra Pradesh this year, said the Doctors' Association for Social Equality (DASE). A NEET PG aspirant, Arjun Ramkumar, shared his frustration: 'Some of my friends have been allotted Rajahmundry, which is about 600 km from Chennai. We're forced to travel at least two days in advance, book tickets, and make stay arrangements. It's an added burden during an already stressful period,' he said, as reported by IANS. TNRDA flags the issue with Health Ministry The Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) has also raised concern over the centre allotment, stating that the preferences of aspirants were ignored this year. Following the outburst among the students, TNRDA has submitted a formal complaint to both the Union Health Ministry and NBEMS, seeking immediate reallocation of centres within the state. The association argued that with Tamil Nadu having a large number of government and private medical colleges, it is fully capable of accommodating its own candidates locally. They also pointed to the mismatch in allotment trends between Tamil Nadu and states like Andhra Pradesh, which have fewer applicants. Gendered impact and a call for intervention Long-distance travel isn't just inconvenient, but it also disproportionately affects women candidates, many of whom require an escort or guardian for safety during interstate travel. 'It adds financial and logistical strain, especially for women,' said DASE General Secretary G.R. Ravindranath, as quoted by IANS. This isn't a new issue. In 2024, MPs R. Sachithanantham (Dindigul) and Shashi Tharoor had taken up a similar concern, which led to successful reallocation for many students. With the exam date drawing close, students and medical associations are urging similar intervention this year. What's next? More than 2.42 lakh candidates have registered for NEET-PG 2025 nationwide. With admit cards expected to be released by July 31, candidates facing travel to unfamiliar cities are left with little time to plan and adapt. Whether NBEMS or the Union Health Ministry will act in time remains uncertain. Until then, for many Tamil Nadu aspirants, the road to postgraduate medical education begins with an unexpected, and unwanted, journey. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
NEET-PG aspirants allotted exam centres in other States, original choices ignored: TNRDA
Despite selecting three preferred cities within Tamil Nadu, many aspirants of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Post Graduate 2025 (NEET-PG), which is scheduled to be held on August 3, have been allotted examination centres in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, in complete disregard to their original choices, the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) has said. In a statement issued, TNRDA expressed serious concern over the manner in which the exam centres were allotted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). Noting that there were widespread grievances among candidates, the association said that students who selected cities in T.N., such as Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore, were denied centres in their State and allotted to faraway cities in other States. The 'First-Come, First-Serve' basis was violated, as even early applicants were not granted preferred cities. TNRDA added that several candidates were notified only of the State, not the city, till the last moment. The allotment process has led to heightened mental stress, especially among women and rural candidates who now face long-distance travel and safety concerns, it said. The association noted that this was a systemic failure despite clear NBEMS guidelines. The NBEMS's notice on July 7 assured that 'more cities will be added and city selection will be first-come, first-serve' basis, and candidates will be able to see only cities where seats are available. In reality, there is a complete mismatch between policy and implementation, the association added. TNRDA demanded an increase in the number of exam centres within each State, especially Tamil Nadu, to accommodate all local applicants and to ensure city-level allotment transparency and prevent cross-State allotment unless consented to by the candidate. It demanded to allow re-allotment or correction window for affected aspirants immediately and to publish a city-wise seat matrix to justify the allotment process. It also put forward the need to establish a dedicated grievance redressal helpline with swift resolution. Subjecting NEET-PG candidates to chaotic logistics and mental exhaustion in the name of 'technical limitations' is unjust and unacceptable, it said. TNRDA urged the Union Health Ministry and NBEMS to act responsibly and restore fairness to the NEET-PG 2025 process.
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
T.N. Resident Doctors Association condemns deputation of NSPGs to tide over doctor shortage
Over the past one month, at least 15 Non Service Post Graduates (NSPG) — mostly obstetrician-gynaecologists — were deputed to distant government hospitals (GH) from their original place of postings as a stopgap measure to tide over the shortage of doctors, the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) has said. Issuing a statement on Friday (July 18, 2025), the TNRDA condemned the recent administrative move to depute NSPGs from their originally allotted GHs to other institutions under the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS). In some cases, NSPGs were deputed to institutions nearly three to four hours away from their residence. This action has caused undue stress and hardship to the doctors, who are already working under challenging conditions. It is unacceptable to treat NSPG doctors as stopgap arrangements for systemic administrative lapses. These postgraduate residents are not receiving any special pay, incentives, or allowances despite being posted far from their designated locations. Such treatment is both exploitative and demoralising, the TNRDA said in the statement. The association also highlighted the lack of transparency in counselling. Administrators failed to reflect actual manpower shortages in GHs during transfer counselling or service/NSPG candidates counselling, leading to unplanned and forced deputations. A large number of Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) 2025 specialist candidates are waiting for their transfer counselling under the DMS. Despite being available and willing to serve, they have not been recruited or posted appropriately. Instead of resorting to ad hoc deputations, the government must focus on recruiting adequate medical officers and specialists on a regular basis, the association said. The TNRDA demanded the immediate cancellation of all arbitrary deputation orders issued to NSPGs, transparent and accurate reporting of manpower needs during counselling processes, and immediate posting of MRB 2025 selected candidates waiting in the recruitment pool.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Hold re-counselling for Non Service Post Graduates, demands resident doctors' association
Stating that the recently concluded counselling for Non Service Post Graduates (NSPG) was held in an 'arbitrary' and 'non-transparent' manner, the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) has sought the Chief Minister's intervention to conduct a transparent, equitable, and centralised single-window counselling for NSPGs across all three directorates. Until such a process is implemented, the association has demanded that the current counselling outcomes be withheld. In a representation to the CM, the association drew his attention to a number of concerns over the recently concluded counselling for NSPGs. Instead of conducting a centralised, transparent single-window counselling for NSPGs, enabling them to opt for vacancies across the directorates of Medical Education (DME), Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS), Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and Greater Chennai Corporation, the health authorities deviated from the established practice. The students were arbitrarily segregated into groups, and a restricted, non-transparent counseling process was initiated, denying the students access to full vacancy details and the freedom to exercise their choice, the association said. The DME/DMS conducted three separate counselling sessions without publishing a consolidated list of vacancies, creating confusion and inequity among NSPG candidates. The association alleged that the government vacancies were revealed only minutes before the counselling began, leaving candidates with little to no time for deliberation and certain hospitals under the DMS were not shown as available in the official vacancy list but were subsequently allotted to select candidates causing widespread confusion and allegations of bias. There are approximately 1,100 NSPGs. Only a limited number of them were called to each counselling round meant for a particular directorate; many eligible candidates were not issued call letters and denied participation, the association said. The association noted that candidates trained in specialised fields such as general surgery and orthopaedics were denied placements in posts matching their training, which could lead to skill degradation and loss of clinical experience. The purpose of the two-year bond to benefit both public health and doctor specialisation was defeated by arbitrary postings and non-transparent procedures, it added. TNRDA pointed out that this deviation from standard counselling processes was not backed by any new government order or official policy. The association sought the CM's intervention to conduct re-counselling.
