Delhi Doctors Demand Equal UG-PG Seats

By Bruce K. Thangkhal

New Delhi, August 8, 2013 – Over 3,000 medical students, backed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Delhi Medical Association, staged a strong protest at Jantar Mantar on Thursday. The demonstrators urged the Union Health Ministry to equalize the number of undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical seats and to integrate structured rural postings into internships and PG training.

In India, postgraduate education is crucial for doctors to specialise in various fields. However, the significant shortage of PG seats has led to a scarcity of specialists across the country. With many senior doctors approaching retirement, the health sector faces an alarming gap in specialist care.

Dr. Naveneet Motreja, coordinator of the Save the Doctor campaign, warned, “If this imbalance continues, India may soon be forced to import doctors, as seen in Brazil, which recently agreed to bring in 6,000 Cuban doctors under public pressure.”

Organisers noted that while India currently has about 45,600 UG seats (expected to rise to 50,000 soon), there are only around 12,000 PG seats. In comparison, the United States offers 19,000 UG seats and 32,000 PG and fellowship positions. With an annual graduation of nearly 40,000 doctors, competition for PG seats remains intense—over 110,000 candidates competed for just 12,000 PG spots under the last NEET PG entrance.

The protestors also addressed concerns over mandatory rural postings. Dr. Narendra Saini, IMA Secretary General, stated, “We support rural service, but there is no structured system in place. Every PG student should serve six months in rural areas as part of their training. Later, for each promotion, one year of rural posting can be mandated.”

The campaigners stressed that young doctors now spend nearly 13 years in education due to these imbalances, with career uncertainty and a strained healthcare system as consequences. They called for immediate reforms to ensure India does not face a deepening crisis in specialist medical care.

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