Almost 140 candidates from the economically weaker section (annual family income less than Rs 8 lakh) have chosen postgraduate seats in clinical specialties from management and NRI quotas of private medical colleges, for which tuition fees alone range from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore plus per year. This has raised questions about the credibility of EWS certificates.

Three EWS candidate have opted for postgraduate seats in Santosh Medical College in specialties such as radio diagnosis (Rs 76 lakh per year), general medicine and obstetrics and gynaecology, which cost Rs 50 lakh per year. Out of 16 management quota seats for postgraduation in general medicine in Dr DY Patil Medical College in Navi Mumbai, four have been taken by EWS candidates. The tuition fees for this course are Rs 48.5 lakh per annum. An EWS candidate has opted for a seat for MS orthopaedics in the same college, for which the annual tuition fee amounts to Rs 62.5 lakh.

The first round of allotment of seats in medical colleges has been completed and the allotment of almost 27,000 candidates has been announced. There are over 52,000 postgraduate seats, which include MD, MS & PG diploma seats, in government and private medical colleges and hospitals. Over 2.4 lakh candidates appeared for NEET PG entrance exam held in Aug and nearly 1.3 lakh qualified.