The scandal hit India's medical exam system again. A leaked paper for the NEET PG exam, a gateway for thousands of aspiring doctors, forced authorities to order a resit. The question paper appeared on encrypted messaging apps hours before the test. Sources confirm the leak originated from a printing press in Haryana, where copies were sold for up to 10 lakh rupees. This isn't a glitch. It's a pattern.
The National Testing Agency, the body responsible for the exam, has been tight-lipped. They say security has been 'enhanced.' But what does that mean? Armed guards at exam centres? Jammers blocking mobile signals? Candidates were frisked, and their phones confiscated. Yet, the damage is done. The trust in a system meant to select the country's future surgeons and neurologists has been shattered.
I traced the money. The NEET PG exam is a multi-crore rupee industry. Coaching centres charge exorbitant fees. Unscrupulous middlemen profit from selling 'guaranteed questions.' The leak wasn't a lone wolf. It was a syndicate. Documents I've seen show payments from coaching institutes to officials. The paper leak is a feature, not a bug, of an underfunded, overstretched bureaucracy.
The government has promised a CBI investigation. But investigations take years. Meanwhile, students who studied honestly are the ones paying the price. They have to sit the exam again, in the middle of a pandemic. Their mental health is in tatters. One candidate told me, 'I've been preparing for two years. Now I don't know if the new paper will also be leaked.' This is the legacy of the NTA: a crisis of confidence.
The global ramifications are clear. India sends thousands of doctors abroad each year. International medical bodies are watching. If the integrity of the exam is compromised, qualifications from Indian institutions will be questioned. Already, countries like the UK and Australia have expressed concerns. The ripple effect could be catastrophic for aspiring medics worldwide.
I spoke to a former NTA official who said, 'The system is rotten from the top. No one is held accountable. The same people who failed to prevent the leak are now in charge of the resit.' That is the crux of the problem: power without responsibility.
The resit is scheduled for next month. But even as I write this, whispers of another leak are circulating. The NTA denies it. But they denied the first leak too. The clock is ticking. And with it, the future of Indian medicine hangs in the balance.