Why toppers skipped OBG in 2026, and who should still take it

MS Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OBG) used to fill early with strong rankers. In MCC 2026 Round 1 it did not. The last All India Open seat in a government college went to AIR 14,190, compared with AIR 9,714 in 2025 Round 1. Only one of the top 100 ranks took it.

That is a big shift for a branch every district in India needs. This piece explains what our counselling data shows, why many toppers stayed away from OBG in 2026, and who should still put it high on their Round 2 list.

What the 2026 numbers show

Our team analysed MCC 2026 Round 1 allotments for the Know Your Branch database. Here is OBG next to the branches toppers did choose.

Source: MCC 2026 and 2025 Round 1 allotment data, analysed by Career Paathshala. The 2025 final round for OBG closed at 18,213.

Among the top ranks, the pattern is sharper:

• Top 100: 1 of 96 listed ranks chose OBG.
• Top 500: 14 of 469 listed ranks, down from 18 a year earlier.
• Top 1,000: 33 of 918 listed ranks.

For comparison, 233 of the top 501 (46%) chose General Medicine and 149 chose Radiology. Even General Surgery, another branch toppers are leaving, drew 25 of the top 501.

Inside the cut-off, half of the govt MS OBG Open seats were taken within AIR 5,262 and the typical closing rank was around 6,312. So the best colleges still go early. What moved is the tail.

State matters a great deal. The last Open seat closed at 754 in Chandigarh but at 14,190 in Arunachal Pradesh.

Why toppers stayed away

The hours

OBG residents in our counsellor handbook report 72-100 hour weeks, with continuous 36-hour shifts in some units. Labour rooms do not close, and an emergency caesarean does not wait for the morning. YouTuber Karthik MD, in a talk we reviewed, cited burnout estimates of 46-86% for OBG residents.

Two lives in every decision

Instagram creator @dr.pratikgirase put it bluntly in a post we reviewed: do not choose OBG for the baby photos, because you will be carrying two lives at 3 AM. A bad outcome can happen even when the doctor does everything right.

The medico-legal load

Our database scores OBG at the top for medico-legal risk among clinical branches. One south Indian study, cited in a Career Paathshala explainer this month, found that about 1 in 4 consumer-court negligence cases involved OBG. We have not reviewed that study directly, so read it as one data point, not a national figure.

Practising obstetricians we have heard from stress three habits:

• written consent that specifically covers a switch from normal delivery to an emergency caesarean;
• briefing relatives in real time when labour changes course;
• keeping labelled CTG tracings for 7-10 years.

Instagram creator @dr.aarterina, whose posts we reviewed, framed it simply: OBG is not losing its importance, it may be losing its appeal. Choose it with your eyes open.

The AI and lifestyle story elsewhere

Toppers are moving to General Medicine because almost every branch now needs a fellowship anyway, and to Radiology and Dermatology for planned hours. OBG offers neither planned hours nor a shorter path. That makes it an easy branch to skip when you have a choice.

2025 Round 1

9,714

2026 Round 1

14,190

Values in AIR (lower = more competitive)

Source: MCC Round 1 allotment data 2025 and 2026, analysed by Career Paathshala.

The case for OBG that rankings miss

Demand does not depend on trends

Every town needs an obstetrician. AI risk is very low. Families return for every pregnancy, which builds lifelong trust and referrals.

The growth niches

Our doctor notes keep pointing to four sub-areas:

• IVF and reproductive medicine: demand is rising with late parenthood, and the work runs closer to a 9-to-6 day.
• Fetal medicine: high-skill ultrasound work without the night-delivery burden.
• Gynae-oncology: depends on big referral hospitals, so it suits metro careers.
• Laparoscopy and uro-gynaecology: what metro hospitals increasingly ask for.

On the Nachiket Bhatia Show, Dr Shafali described a tier 2 senior resident start of about Rs 60-70K a month, rising to about Rs 3 lakh in 3-5 years and, for some, above Rs 10 lakh a month in private practice after 8-10 years. Treat these as one doctor's account, not a promise.

Honest money maths

Sources: MCC 2026 data and Career Paathshala branch database; doctor figures from the Nachiket Bhatia Show and HealthPil. Stipends vary by state from about Rs 42K to Rs 1.27 lakh.

The gap between a govt seat that pays you about Rs 27 lakh and a deemed seat that costs about Rs 1.2 crore is roughly Rs 1.5 crore before you deliver your first baby as a consultant. Our handbook also warns that income above Rs 10 lakh a month comes only after years of surgical goodwill. Do not plan a loan around social-media income claims.

1 of 96

listed top-100 ranks

14 of 469

listed top-500 ranks (18 a year earlier)

33 of 918

listed top-1,000 ranks

185 of 369

DNB OBG seats taken by ranks inside the govt MS cut-off

Source: MCC 2026 Round 1 data, analysed by Career Paathshala.

DNB OBG is not a consolation prize

The most striking number in our analysis: 185 of 369 DNB OBG seats went to candidates whose rank was inside the govt MS Open cut-off. In other words, about half the DNB seats were picked by people who could have taken a government MS seat. Fernandez Hospital, Hyderabad was among the most picked.

Why would they? A high-volume DNB centre can give more deliveries, more cutting and stronger protocols than an average government college. Typical DNB OBG closing rank was 13,939 and the last seat went at 19,559. The NBEMS diploma route (DGO equivalent) ran to AIR 41,835.

Two cautions. Exit exam pass rates have historically been about 85-95% for MS against 50-70% for DNB, according to our counsellor handbook. And DNB seats at some govt or district hospitals carry service bonds, so read our DNB bond guide before you lock one.

Round 2: why OBG seats will move

In 2025 about 44% of Round 1 OBG allottees did not keep their seat, and Round 2 gave out 1,233 fresh OBG seats. If that pattern holds in 2026, which we cannot promise, ranks beyond 14,190 may still see govt OBG options in Round 2 or state rounds. Choice locking for MCC Round 2 ends on 15 Nov at 11:55 pm.

Item	Figure
Govt stipend, year 1 (typical)	Rs 75,398/month
DNB minimum stipend	Rs 43-47K/month
Deemed fee (typical)	Rs 40.1 lakh/year
SR after MS	Rs 0.75-1.2 lakh/month
With fellowship	Rs 1.5-2 lakh/month
Full IVF centre set-up	Rs 3.5-6 crore

Sources: MCC 2026 data; Career Paathshala branch database; Nachiket Bhatia Show; HealthPil. Indicative only.

What this means for you

• Rank under about 6,000 and torn between OBG and Medicine or Radiology: pick OBG only if you can picture yourself in a labour room at 3 AM and still want it. If you are choosing it because it is "safe", it is not.
• Rank 6,000-15,000: this is the zone where OBG became newly reachable in 2026. Put high-volume government colleges first, then strong DNB centres. Ask about deliveries a month (300+ is a good sign) and how often residents operate.
• Rank 15,000-42,000: look at Round 2 movement, DNB OBG and the NBEMS diploma. A busy DNB with real cutting can beat a quiet college.
• Thinking of a deemed seat at Rs 40 lakh a year: do the 3-year maths first. A Rs 1.2 crore outlay is hard to recover early in a branch where real income comes later.
• Already sure about IVF or fetal medicine: OBG is the only door. Plan the fellowship from year 1.

Questions to ask current residents

• How many deliveries and caesareans does the unit do each month, and how many do residents perform?
• Is there laparoscopy exposure?
• How are night duties, duty rooms and safety handled? Our safety checklist has ten more questions.

If you want to compare OBG with Medicine, Radiology or Paediatrics side by side, open Know Your Branch or book a counselling call with our team.

Change log: Published 14 Nov 2026