Fri Mar 07 01:51:00 UTC 2025: ## Hundreds of Postgraduate Medical Seats Remain Unfilled in Karnataka Due to Lack of Interest in Pre-Clinical Courses

**Bengaluru, March 7, 2025** – A significant number of postgraduate (PG) medical seats in Karnataka remain unfilled, highlighting a critical shortage of students interested in pre-clinical courses. Despite measures like fee waivers and job guarantees implemented by several medical colleges, including Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre (VIMS) and Oxford Medical College, a large number of vacancies persist in subjects like anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, forensic medicine, and microbiology.

Of the 3,864 PG medical seats available in the state for 2024-25, 485 remain vacant after multiple rounds of counselling. The situation is particularly dire for pre-clinical courses, with stark figures revealing the extent of the problem: 98 out of 104 MD Anatomy seats, 87 of 97 Physiology seats, and similarly high vacancy rates in other pre-clinical disciplines. In contrast, clinical courses are almost fully subscribed.

This trend isn’t new. Data from previous years shows consistently low enrollment in pre-clinical courses, with single-digit enrollments in some subjects in recent years. The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), the state’s counselling authority, has implemented multiple rounds of counselling, including reducing the NEET cut-off percentage to 5%, to try and fill the vacancies, but with limited success.

Experts attribute the lack of interest to limited job prospects after graduation. Graduates from pre-clinical courses often face challenges securing employment in laboratories or diagnostic centers, which are few in number and offer comparatively low salaries. This contrasts sharply with the abundant opportunities available to graduates of clinical courses.

The shortage of students in pre-clinical courses poses a significant threat to medical education in the state. The lack of qualified faculty in these foundational subjects is a growing concern. Stakeholders are calling for measures to make pre-clinical courses more attractive, including improved job prospects, higher salaries, and investment in advanced technology in diagnostic centers. The Karnataka Medical Education Minister, Sharan Prakash Patil, acknowledges the issue as a cyclical problem driven by market demands, suggesting that the situation might improve in the coming years as the need for faculty increases. However, the immediate concern remains the substantial number of unfilled PG medical seats.

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