The application fee for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduation (NEET-PG) exam stood at Rs 4,250 for General and OBC category candidates and at Rs 3,250 for SC/ST category candidates. However, NEET-PG aspirants, who sat the test on May 21, are now demanding that the National Board of Examination (NBE), which conducts the exam, justify such an exorbitant fee. 

Speaking to IANS, a NEET-PG aspirant, on the condition of anonymity, said that basic facilities such as fans and drinking water were not provided to the students despite conditions of a heatwave prevailing through many parts of the country. The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has now released a statement on this issue, calling out the NBE for "poor administrative management".

"Doctors at the Federation of All India Medical Association are getting complaints from students who took the NEET-PG 2022 examination held on May 21 regarding the poor administrative management at the examination centres all over the country. It is shameful for the National Board of Examination to charge such exorbitant fees for merely appearing in an examination and not provide even water to students at such high temperature," read the statement. 

FAIMA's President, Dr Rohan Krishnan told IANS, "This is unacceptable because various platforms in India are conducting online medical exams at Rs 1,000-1,500 smoothly. This fee should be revised to minimal because students appear for this exam more than once." Krishnan also lashed out at the NBE for "lack of transparency". "Various organisations such as Delhi AIIMS, AIIMS Rishikesh, INICET, ESI releases an answer key the next day after exams and gives clear cut data of which questions were marked right or wrong by the candidate," he told IANS.