Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 10: Doctors from SKIMS Medical College, Bemina, today staged a protest against the significant reduction in the Open Merit (OM) quota for NEET PG admissions.
The demonstration comes a day after a similar protest by medics at Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar.
The protesting doctors highlighted that the OM quota allocation has dropped from 75% in 2019 to 38.5% in 2024.
With 50% of the seats reserved for the All-India Quota, they argued that opportunities for merit-based candidates have been severely restricted.
Criticizing what they termed “extensive reservations,” the doctors expressed concern over its impact on specialized branches of medical education.
“All students use the same resources during MBBS. Why should specialty courses have such extensive reservations?” they questioned.
They warned that prioritizing reservations over merit risks compromising healthcare standards by reducing the production of skilled professionals.
The medics also criticized Rule 17 of the J&K Reservation Rules (2004-2005), describing it as biased against OM candidates.
They pointed out that when reserved category candidates upgrade to higher specialties, their vacated seats are reassigned to other reserved candidates instead of open merit candidates, creating an uneven advantage.
The protesters stressed the need to review the reservation policy, emphasizing that only deserving candidates should benefit from such schemes.
“Healthcare standards are already being compromised by less-qualified individuals securing seats and promotions through reservation,” they said, calling for reforms to prioritize merit in medical admissions.
The doctors appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Health Minister Sakina Itoo to address their grievances and ensure fairness in the admission process.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
