NEET for Allied Courses: The announcement by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) that NEET will be mandatory for admission to all allied and healthcare programs, which they claimed as a step toward “standardisation” and “quality enhancement.” Beneath that claim lie various challenges for those wanting admission in allied and healthcare courses.
Here I would like to share my opinion on why enforcing NEET for non-MBBS courses is not only unnecessary but potentially damaging to students, institutions, and the future of allied healthcare in India.
Forcing Uniformity on Non-Uniform Courses
There are various allied and healthcare courses in India, which include physiotherapy, psychology, optometry, nutrition, medical lab technology, imaging, OT, public health, dialysis tech, cardiac care tech, and dozens more.
These Allied healthcare courses are diverse, skill-oriented, and require specialized training.
But NEET and Why It is Not Necessary:
- Tests purely theoretical knowledge
- Focuses mostly on MBBS-level competition
- Has zero components assessing practical skills or aptitude relevant to allied fields
- Tests concepts of physics, chemistry, and biology
- The difficulty level of questions is very high.
- Unnecessary for technical/application-based courses like psychology, physiotherapy, nutrition, medical lab technology, etc.
Hence, forcing every aspirant from a physiotherapist to a radiology technologist to clear the same exam designed for MBBS admissions is fundamentally not fair.
Join NEET News 2025 An Already Overburdened NEET System.
NEET is already operating under extreme pressure, making further expansion highly questionable. With 23 lakh+ applicants appearing each year, the institution is stretched to its maximum capacity.
On top of that, there are frequent paper leaks, controversies, and court cases, which make the situation even more stressful. Managing such a large exam across thousands of centres creates huge logistical challenges.
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And for students, the constant pressure, uncertainty, and high competition often lead to anxiety and mental health issues.
With all this already happening, adding even more students from allied courses will only make the system even more difficult to handle and ultimately collapse.
The Real Sufferers of This Decision
Students who are not aiming for MBBS will be the ones affected the most by this change. Many of them choose allied health courses because they are skill-based, practical, and less theory-heavy.
Some come from backgrounds where they have studied only basic biology or want a job-oriented course without intense competition.
For these students, NEET doesn’t judge their actual talent or potential; instead, it becomes a barrier that stops them from entering the field.
It’s unfair that a student who wants to become a physiotherapist or lab technician has to compete on the same exam as someone preparing for AIIMS.
Both careers are important, but they don’t require the same kind of exam or pressure.
Read Also: NEET and Mental Health: The Hidden Struggle Behind the Dream
Decision First, Discussion Later: A Flawed Approach
A major policy change like this should have involved open discussions with all important stakeholders, students, healthcare professionals, educational institutions, state governments, and experts in allied health sciences.
These are the people directly affected by the decision, and their opinions should have been considered before making such a big move.
Instead, the announcement feels rushed and one-sided, with very little open communication. As a result, many students are left confused and uncertain about what this change means for their future.
A Policy That Needs Reconsideration, Not Blind Implementation
This policy clearly needs reconsideration, not blind implementation. India urgently needs more healthcare workers, not additional hurdles that make entry into the field even harder.
Making NEET compulsory for allied and healthcare courses from 2026-27 may appear to be a step toward modernisation, but in reality, it only burdens students, overloads an already chaotic examination system, and reduces access to essential healthcare professions.
Worse, it does nothing to improve the actual quality of education.
If the goal is truly to improve standards, the focus should be on updating the curriculum, strengthening accreditation, improving infrastructure, and adopting skill-based evaluations not simply copying the MBBS admission model.
Before this policy causes long-term harm to the future of allied healthcare in India, it deserves open criticism, wider public discussion, and serious reconsideration.
