Published Feb 12, 2026 | 8:29 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 12, 2026 | 8:29 AM
NEET-PG admission. Representative image.
Synopsis: A candidate who scored one mark out of 800 in NEET-PG secured admission to MS Orthopaedics at a private medical college under Telangana’s state quota counselling. Documents reveal that 20 candidates with scores ranging from one to 99 marks have been allotted postgraduate medical seats across Telangana. At least 12 of these admissions went to government medical colleges, including the state’s premier institutions.
A candidate who scored one mark out of 800 in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) secured admission to MS Orthopaedics at Kamineni Academy of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, under Telangana’s state quota counselling.
The admission, part of the Competent Authority Quota mop-up phase for the academic year 2025-26, marks what medical professionals are calling an unprecedented collapse in postgraduate medical education standards.
Documents from Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, dated 9 February 2026, reveal that 20 candidates with scores ranging from one to 99 marks have been allotted postgraduate medical seats across Telangana. At least 12 of these admissions went to government medical colleges, including the state’s premier institutions.
The candidate with one mark secured the MS Orthopaedics seat under the ST category (rank 229,981). MS Orthopaedics stands among the most competitive surgical specialities in Indian medical education, typically attracting candidates who score in the top percentiles.
A candidate with 12 marks obtained admission for MD Forensic Medicine at Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, under the SC category. Another with 24 marks secured MD Pathology at the same institution.
Osmania Medical College alone accounts for six admissions from the bottom tier, with candidates scoring between 12 and 99 marks entering specialities including Forensic Medicine, Pathology, Orthopaedics, Anaesthesia, and General Surgery.
Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, admitted three candidates from this group: 59 marks for MD Radiodiagnosis, 74 marks for MD Pharmacology, and 91 marks for MS Orthopaedics. Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal, admitted a candidate with 32 marks for MD Pathology under the ST category.
The counselling data revealed admissions to courses across the spectrum of medical specialities. MS Orthopaedics seats went to four candidates in this bottom tier, with scores of 1, 60, and 91 marks. MS General Surgery seats were allotted to candidates with 93 and 99 marks. MS Obstetrics and Gynaecology went to candidates with 91 and 94 marks.
MD Radiodiagnosis at Gandhi Medical College went to a candidate with 59 marks. MD Paediatrics at Apollo Medical College, Hyderabad, was allotted to someone with 80 marks. MD Respiratory Medicine at Mediciti Institute of Medical Sciences went to a candidate with 43 marks.
MD Pathology, central to diagnostics, has been allotted to candidates with scores as low as 24 and 32 marks at government medical colleges. MS Oto-Rhino-Laryngology seats were given to candidates with 65 and 84 marks. MD Anaesthesia went to candidates with 55 and 90 marks.
Of the 20 lowest scorers in the state counselling, 12 secured seats in government institutions. These include Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, with six seats, Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, with three seats, Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal, with one seat, and Government Medical College, Siddipet, with one seat.
The remaining eight admissions went to private medical colleges, including Kamineni Academy, Apollo Medical College, Mediciti Institute, Mamatha Medical College, TRR Institute, RVM Institute, Kamineni Institute, and Sri Venkata Sai Medical College.
The admissions fall under the Competent Authority Quota, specifically the In-Service Category, which operates as a parallel admission system alongside the All India quota managed centrally. This quota was designed for in-service medical professionals seeking postgraduate qualifications.
The mop-up phase, conducted after regular counselling rounds, fills remaining vacant seats. However, the extent of the reduction in standards suggests a policy of filling seats regardless of academic credentials.
The Telangana data emerges in the context of a broader trend. On 13 January 2026, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences issued a notice reducing minimum qualifying percentiles for the third round of All India quota counselling to unprecedented lows.
For SC/ST/OBC candidates, including persons with benchmark disabilities, the cut-off plummeted from the 40th percentile to the 0th percentile, meaning candidates who scored negative marks became qualified for postgraduate medical seats.
The All India quota counselling conducted in early February 2026 saw three candidates with negative scores securing admissions: -12 marks for MD Physiology at a private college in Chennai, -8 marks for MD Biochemistry at Government Medical College, Haldwani, and -5 marks for MD Biochemistry at a private college in Pune.
A candidate with just four marks secured MS Orthopaedics at PGIMS Rohtak through the All India quota under the OBC PwD category.
However, the Telangana state quota data revealed that the problem extends significantly further at the state level, with lower scores, more admissions to government colleges, and a higher proportion of competitive clinical specialities being allotted.
Dr D Srinath, National President of the Federation of All India Medical Association, frames the concern in terms of what happens beyond admission.
“In state quota counselling, there is a separate management quota conducted by the states. There, candidates with four, five or six marks can directly buy seats because they are technically qualified. We are not analysing private or management seats here. We are only talking about government seats through central counselling.”
Dubyala insisted that the debate centres on minimum thresholds rather than reservation policies. “This is not about judging candidates based on their background. Many of these candidates belong to the OBC, SC, and ST communities, and we are not questioning the reservation. We are questioning the absence of a minimum academic standard. Asking for another exam attempt is not discrimination; it is about patient safety and medical standards.”
The Telangana document is dated 9 February 2026, indicating these admissions have been finalised. The candidates have been allotted seats and will presumably begin their postgraduate training in the coming months.
A candidate with one mark for MS Orthopaedics will undergo three years of surgical training before being certified as an orthopaedic surgeon. A candidate with 12 marks in MD Forensic Medicine will become responsible for medicolegal examinations, post-mortems, and expert testimony in courts.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
