A woman in her thirties from Tamil Nadu says she deferred marriage after completing her MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), a 5.5-year programme, to pursue a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), a postgraduate speciality degree. To enter a specialised stream, she had to clear the NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test–Postgraduate), a mandatory national-level entrance examination for postgraduate medical courses. However, she was unable to clear the exam on her first attempt. During this period, as she waited another year to reattempt the examination, she was advised by her parents to get married, with the assurance that she could clear NEET PG the following year. Her parents expressed concern that, at nearly 25 years of age, delaying marriage further might make it difficult for her to find a suitable match.

She got married. The following year, she cleared NEET PG and secured admission to a government medical college in Tamil Nadu for a three-year M.D. programme in general medicine as a non-service candidate. As per the State eligibility criteria, service candidates are those who, after clearing the Medical Recruitment Board (MRB) examination, join government service for around two years. However, within a year of joining the course, she says questions around her age and motherhood began to surface. “Family members raised concerns, citing health-related risks associated with pregnancy after the age of 30,” she added.

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