NEW DELHI/SHIMLA: In a booster dose for dental aspirants across India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has slashed the NEET MDS 2024 qualifying percentile by a 21.692 points across all categories.
As per the fresh notification, the qualifying percentile for General/UR/EWS candidates is now set at 28.308, while SC/ST/OBC candidates need 18.308, and UR-PWD candidates require 23.308 to qualify.
This decision comes in response to a letter from the United Doctors Front Association (UDFA), which flagged the alarm about thousands of vacant MDS seats across the country after the All Indian counselling rounds were over.
They had shot off a letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda on August 24, 2024 in this regard.
UDFA's National President Dr. Lakshya Mittal and General Secretary Dr. Arun Kumar highlighted the need to fill over 2,000 seats, with Karnataka alone seeing 380 empty slots, followed by Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.
"The reduction in qualifying marks will help ensure that these seats, spanning critical specializations like prosthodontics, oral surgery, and orthodontics, don’t go to waste," the UDFA letter had pointed out.
Reacting to the ministry’s decision, Dr. Lakshmi Mittal expressed gratitude, calling it a win-win for both aspiring MDS candidates and the country’s dental health sector.
"Many candidates were narrowly missing the cut-off. This move ensures that seats get filled and dental care gets a much-needed boost across states."
The Ministry has directed National Board of Examination to revise results based on the new cut-off, and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to act swiftly to fill the vacancies across India.
The decision has been welcomed by medical fraternity, brighter days ahead for MDS hopefuls!
