People’s Health Organisation calls for structural reforms in NEET system

Mumbai: The Mumbai-based People’s Health Organisation-India (PHO) has called for urgent structural reforms in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) system, saying recurring controversies have seriously undermined public confidence in India’s medical entrance examination process.

PHO said the recent disruption surrounding NEET, affecting nearly 22 lakh medical aspirants and their families, was not merely an administrative lapse but a reflection of deeper systemic weaknesses in the design, governance and oversight of one of India’s most critical public examinations.

“NEET is not just an entrance examination; for millions of students, it is a life-defining event that determines access to medical education and future careers in healthcare. A system of such significance cannot be repeatedly vulnerable to controversy, uncertainty and loss of public trust,” PHO Secretary General Dr. Ishwar Gilada said in a statement.

The organisation noted that India’s medical education landscape has expanded significantly over the past few decades, with more than 824 medical colleges and an annual MBBS intake exceeding 1.3 lakh seats. However, it said the increase in numbers has not necessarily translated into equitable access or consistent educational quality.

“More than half of the available medical seats are in private institutions, where the cost of education can range from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore, placing medical education beyond the reach of most Indian families. Quality public medical education remains limited, leading to intense competition, dependence on coaching centres and enormous emotional and financial pressure on students,” the statement said.

PHO pointed out that for over two million aspirants every year, the entire admission process depends on a single examination conducted on a single day, making the system highly vulnerable to disruption.

“A system dependent on one centralised, high-stakes examination event for millions of candidates is inherently fragile. Any irregularity — whether a security breach, logistical failure or procedural ambiguity — immediately escalates into a national crisis. The problem is not merely misconduct by a few individuals; it is the dangerous concentration of risk within the examination design itself,” the organisation said.

PHO also stressed that reforms must protect honest students and avoid indiscriminate punitive action.

“There must be a clear distinction between proven wrongdoing, suspicious cases requiring investigation and the overwhelming majority of genuine aspirants who have done nothing wrong. Blanket punishment is neither fair nor practical,” the statement said.

The organisation urged policymakers to consider adopting safeguards similar to those used in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which distributes risk through multiple sessions, digital administration and score normalisation processes.

PHO said the recurring controversies surrounding NEET have reignited debate over the sustainability of a single-exam model for such a massive candidate pool. Education experts believe the issue goes beyond examination security and reflects deeper concerns related to affordability of medical education, regional disparities, coaching culture and the growing psychological pressure on students competing for limited government medical seats.