NEET PG Centres '1000 Km Away', Shashi Tharoor Urges Health Ministry To Review Centre Allocation

NEET PG 2024: With just a week remaining until the NEET PG 2024 exam, candidates have taken to social media to express concerns over the allocation of distant exam centres. In response, Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor has written to Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, urging an urgent review of the centre allocations to ensure that students do not have to travel excessively long distances.

NEET PG on August 11

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) is set to conduct the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG 2024) on August 11. However, the postponement of the exam, last-minute revisions to the exam pattern, and changes in exam centres have caused significant distress among the aspirants. These issues have raised concerns about the overall conduct of the PG medical entrance exam.

‘Travelling 1000 Kms For Exam Will Impose Significant Burdens on Candidates’

Tharoor highlighted the undue burden placed on students due to the last-minute changes. "The last-minute postponement of the NEET-PG examination to August 11, 2024, has already caused much distress to the medical aspirants. Now, mandating candidates to travel long distances on short notice, up to 800-1000 kilometers in some cases, will impose significant financial and logistical burdens on them and their families, especially those from economically weaker sections," he wrote.

He pointed out specific cases from Kerala, where students have been allotted centres in Andhra Pradesh, over 1,000 kilometers away. The situation is exacerbated by a shortage of tickets for flights and trains on the required dates. Tharoor also mentioned the recent catastrophic landslides in Wayanad, Kerala, which have intensified travel challenges, posing severe safety and health risks.

Tharoor emphasized the importance of the NEET PG exam for medical aspirants and the broader healthcare infrastructure. He called for the exam to be conducted in a fair and equitable manner. "It is imperative that the examination is conducted in a fair and equitable manner. I hope you will give this request your kind and sympathetic consideration. I will also seek a meeting with you, together with the concerned MPs from Kerala, on this issue," he added.

In addition to Tharoor, several other MPs, FAIMA, and student groups have requested the health ministry to review the exam centre allocation for NEET PG 2024. The widespread calls for change reflect the urgency and gravity of the situation faced by aspiring medical professionals.