NMC allows foreign medical graduates to complete internship in India

Amid concerns over the fate of foreign medical graduates (FMGs), who have returned to India from Ukraine, the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Friday allowed them to complete their internship or practical training in Indian medical colleges.

Allowing FMGs to pursue their internship in India, NMC stated that those foreign medical graduates who did not fall under NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations were governed by provisions under the erstwhile Indian Medical Council Act 1956. The provisions of sub-section (3) of section 13 of IMC Act required such FMGs to complete internship in India if they have not undergone any practical training in the foreign country where they were studying.

However, NMC has now acknowledged the impact of Russian invasion on Ukraine on FMGs' future especially in terms of incomplete internship or practical training in medicine.

"It has further been observed that there are also some FMGs with incomplete internships due to such compelling situations which are beyond their control such as the Covid-19 pandemic and war. Considering the agony and stress faced by these FMGs, their application to complete the remaining part of internship in India is considered eligible," the NMC circular read.

The commission acknowledged that FMGs were facing hardship in getting themselves registered in some of the state medical councils after publication of Foreign Medical Graduates Licentiate Regulations 2021 and Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship Regulations 2021 by NMC.

The Friday circular maintained that the provisions were now not applicable for FMGs who had acquired a foreign medical degree or primary qualification before November 18, 2021, candidates who had joined undergraduate medical education in foreign colleges before November 18, 2021 as well as those specifically exempted by the union government.

NMC has now asked state medical councils to process completion of internship of these candidates provided they have cleared the foreign medical graduate examination (FMGE). NMC has also directed the state councils to ensure that no fee was charged by medical colleges from the FMGs for permitting them to do their internship even as the stipend and other facilities to these candidates were to be equivalent to Indian counterparts being trained at government medical colleges.

NMC also issued guidelines for state medical councils for allowing FMGs to undergo internship such as ensuring that the latter's medical qualification or degree was registerable to practice in their respective foreign country in which the degree was awarded. Other guidelines to the state medical councils included restricting the duration of internship to either 12 months or balance period while restricting the maximum quota for allocation of internship to FMGs to additional 7.5 per cent of total permitted seats in a medical college.

Meanwhile, in its representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of FMGs who returned to India from Ukraine, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has recommended that all evacuated medical students who are Indian citizens to be "adjusted as a one time measure in existing medical schools" in India for the remainder of their MBBS course.

IMA has recommended that such onetime adjustment may not be taken as an increase in annual intake capacity among these Indian medical colleges.