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Journalism of Courage
With the NEET PG counselling yet to begin, some experts and students believe that the rape and murder of the young woman doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last month is likely to impact candidates’ choices.
“The situation in West Bengal is concerning, particularly with the state ministers and the female chief minister addressing issues inadequately. Additionally, with allegations against the dean of the college, my parents and I, along with many other parents of daughters who will be doing PG now, are quite worried about safety and the overall environment in Kolkata,” Dr Surabhi Jaiswal from Uttar Pradesh said. She added that she would not compromise her safety and security for her preferred branch or college.
“With the recent incident in West Bengal, male and female students alike, both Bengalis and non-Bengalis, will now not consider that particular college,” Dr Rohan Krishnan, national chairman and co-founder of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), said.
Another woman doctor from Delhi said that safety would be a bigger factor for her. “My choice as a state will not be West Bengal after the recent tragedy. We are clear that in the counselling we will not be putting up any West Bengal medical college. There will be some people who will still choose branch over college because of their own struggles but the toxicity of colleges and departments after this recent case will be taken into account for almost 90 per cent of the doctors,” said Dr Sahifa.
While choosing a branch, NEET PG aspirants look at the fee structure of the college, bond status, clinical load, safety, and location before finalising where to study. “Safety is an important factor that students – men and women – think about while choosing a branch,” Dr Krishnan added.
An MBBS doctor from Haryana with three years of experience, Dr Nisha Barkodia said that incidents like the Kolkata one cast a long shadow over the safety of medical professionals. “After such news, parents might hesitate to let their daughters choose medical colleges in areas where there are conflicts or chances of violence or attacks. This situation underlines a broader issue of inadequate protection for doctors, who frequently face violence from patients and their families,” she added.
“Our government must take stringent measures to ensure the safety and justice for medical professionals. Given the current environment, I would advise against pursuing a medical career in India and suggest considering opportunities abroad where there is a better support system and greater respect for the profession,” Dr Barkodia added.
However, some doctors believe that such incidents keep happening. A NEET PG aspirant from Uttar Pradesh said the choice of seats is mostly based on the clinical inclination towards that subject, rather than safety. “Candidates do not usually relate safety to the branch because it is the same for the branches in any hospital. It is always the state or town that people like to avoid. Like in general, students avoid states where the law and order is weak,” a NEET PG aspirant told indianexpress.com.
Other than security, another major reason why Indian students hesitate to choose some states is their bond policies. Medical graduates who clear NEET PG are required to enter into three types of bonds – a service bond, a seat leaving bond and a bank guarantee. For example, Andhra Pradesh has a service bond of one year with a penalty of Rs 40 lakh. However, places like Delhi, Chandigarh and Meghalaya do not have service bonds.
While bond policies need to be legally contested, medical students are also demanding a change in toxic environment.
Dr Dhruv Chauhan, a national council member of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said that toxicity has been an issue for a long time but it is just being spoken about now. “Some professors or heads of departments (HODs) create fear by not accepting the thesis of the resident doctors or rejecting it…(this) is a toxic attitude,” Dr Chauhan said. Not giving stipends on time, unnecessarily holding them and allotting unnecessary work to create an unprofessional environment also create a toxic atmosphere, he added.
In the NEET PG results last year, among the top 100 rank holders, 41 chose general medicine and 28 opted for radiodiagnosis, according to the first allotment list. In contrast, only two candidates selected surgery, a field traditionally popular among MBBS graduates. Experts attributed this decline to the demanding nature of surgery and the increasing incidents of violence against doctors.
According to Sandeep Seeramreddi, surgery faculty at edtech firm PW MedEd, the trend in choosing a speciality is currently driven by work-life balance and a sense of accomplishment. “Radiology remains the top choice for its AC rooms and well-planned days followed by dermatology for similar reasons with fixed working hours. General medicine is still the favourite for the variety of patients and possible career paths. Surgical specialities have seen a downward trend due to long working hours. Lesser known specialities like nuclear medicine are being preferred among young doctors,” he explained.
In the NEET PG exam, certain branches are particularly sought after due to their career prospects, scope, and demand in the medical field, Jyotee Naair, founder of CareerVversity, an edtech firm providing career counselling services, said.
Here’s an overview of some of the most-picked branches and their scope:
Scope: General Medicine is a core branch that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases and conditions in adults. It offers opportunities in hospitals, clinics, and research. Specialists often pursue further subspecialties such as cardiology, gastroenterology, or endocrinology.
Career Prospects: High demand in both urban and rural areas, opportunities for academia and research, and a broad range of practice settings.
Scope: Radiology involves using imaging techniques such as X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds to diagnose, and sometimes, treat diseases. It also includes subspecialties like interventional radiology.
Career Prospects: Increasing demand due to advancements in imaging technology, opportunities in hospitals, diagnostic centres, and research.
Scope: Emergency Medicine deals with acute and urgent medical conditions that require immediate attention. It includes trauma care, disaster medicine, and pre-hospital care.
Career Prospects: High demand in emergency departments, trauma centres, and disaster response teams.
Scope: Anaesthesiology involves the administration of anaesthesia during surgeries and pain management. It includes critical care and pain management specialities.
Career Prospects: High demand in surgical settings and critical care units, opportunities in pain management clinics and academic institutions.
Some of the other common branches are paediatrics, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, Naair added.
