The attacks on surgeons and emergency doctors are seen as the reason for them not finding favour among postgraduate medical students.
Five opted for MS surgery in 2020, eight in 2021 and one in 2022. (Photo credit: pixabay.com)
NEET PG 2023 Counselling: In the 2023 NEET PG, among the top 100 rank holders, 28 chose radiodiagnosis, while 41 picked general medicine, as per the first allotment list. Only two candidates took surgery, which has been one of the traditional favourites among MBBS degree holders. Experts believe since surgery is a more demanding branch, and there is a surge in violence against doctors, there is a dip in popularity.
Almost a decade ago, getting a surgical speciality was considered prestigious, and the top rankers competed for the same. However, it has witnessed a significant drop in the past years. Five opted for MS surgery in 2020, eight in 2021 and one in 2022.
Almost 21 students out of the top 100 opted out of NEET PG counselling. (Graph by Abhishek Mitra)
President of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) Rohan Krishnan explains that the cases of attacks on doctors, especially those who are surgeons or handling the emergency wards, are why postgraduate students are avoiding these branches. “With so many attacks on doctors in these recent years, many candidates prefer taking jobs where there is limited patient-doctor interaction. Departments like gynaecology, internal medicine, surgery or critical care deal with the patients and their families directly. If they are not happy with the treatment, sometimes they turn aggressive and start assaulting the doctors,” he said.