The results of NEET PG Counselling 2023 and NEET SS Counselling 2023 have been astonishing. Only two students out of the first 100 have chosen a surgical branch for postgraduate studies. The surgical super specialties,neurosurgery and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery once upon a time the dream branches could not lure even a single student out of the first 100 .

Even though half of the population, in some phase of their life, must seek the services of an OBG consultant, cutting corners from the evergreen specialty is startling. Similarly, disillusionment from General Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery, which used to symbolize a lucrative class for post graduation about a quarter of a century ago, is conspicuously apparent.

Surgical branches require tough and toiling work for more than a decade in a premier institute over and above postgraduate studies to be designated a quality surgeon. Still, they are less rewarding. Criminal incrimination, recently, has disappointed even the established surgeons, enunciated Dr Rajvir Arya, Quondam Professor, and HOD Surgery, SMS Medical College, Jaipur when requested to comment upon the situation.

Dr. Priyanka Saxena, Senior Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Government District Hospital, Sawaimadhopur, who has lately driven her daughter towards Pediatric specialty contrary to the trend of navigating wards towards the same profession as theirs, ascribes long hectic working,

prevailing lawlessness, increasing violence and vandalism in addition to consumer and criminal accusations for the disenchanting influences towards surgeries.Surgical specialties require inevitably heavy investment. Minimal-invasive procedures have sidelined surgical indications. Secondary care surgical branches have become redundant and masked by burgeoning super-specialties.

Dr. AP Setia, a General Surgeon & medico-social activist, and formerly President of the State branch IMA Haryana, enumerates all the above as additional causes for surgical branches losing sheen.

1.Differentiation between Complications versus Error of Judgement versus Negligence, is not being clearly understood by different fora, under the CPA. And it  has led to award of mind boggling financial compensation.

2. The need to invest far more finances for Establishment in private sector versus other specialties, especially CVTS & Neurosurgery.

A good number of cases earlier being treated Surgically are now being treated by corresponding medical specialties such as Cardiology, international Radiology etc.

3.Poor Quality of life with regard to duty hours in private practice especially Obst& Gyne,  because doctor is responsible for saving two lives, simultaneously. Apart from trend of Super Specialties in its various segments. 

4. Increasing incidences of violence in Clinical Establishments, more so in private Clinical Establishments.

5. M.S. General Surgery and Orthopaedics, have become  redundant,  because a large number of Super Specialties have emerged out of these. And one has to spend few more years to be master of these.

Dr Vatsala Trivedi, the first female urologist of Bharat and formerly PHOD Urology, Sion Hospital Mumbai, has earned acclamation for performing hundreds of renal transplants. When interrogated about the dislike for surgeries among young medics says, "A noose around the neck is bound to create quiver".

Dr Tarun Patni, Senior Pediatrician from Jaipur and Ex President of Indian Association of Pediatricians says the, Doctors are a very hard working, intelligent strata of Indian society which want to serve the population, but the present medico legal fear of huge non reasonable financial punishment by courts and incidences of brutal attacks by mob despite presence of medical protection act, is a huge deterrent for the new generation of doctors to take stressful surgical branches. The Obstetrics , Neuro surgery, CTVS and many other surgical branches demand lot of commitment at the cost of time, quality of life, and family which the present generation does not think is worth to sacrifice, because of poor govt protection and peer pressure.

Market forces, unpredictable treatment outcomes, fear of consumer case,arbitrary and huge penalties from courts,long learning phase,long latent phase in careers,very long operating hours and requirement to deal with high risk emergencies on daily basis may have drawn aspirants away from cardio-thoracic and neurosurgical super specialties in due course of time but shunning surgical studies in the entirety augurs ill omen portending social imbalance that should raise hackles of healthcare planners and medical cognoscenti inducing them to take corrective steps in time.