FMGs: Demands being raised to educate, guide Indian medical aspirants going abroad for studies

Despite the huge crisis faced by Indian medical students pursuing medical courses from China and Ukraine, Indian medical aspirants, in large numbers, continue to choose to pursue MBBS courses from abroad. Now, the demand is being raised to guide them so that they can be protected from any unwanted situation in the future.

A senior citizen, Ravi Kumar Koul, who was closely following the family business of Medical Education Abroad Consultancy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and highlighted that Indian aspiring medical students continue going abroad in very large numbers to various countries without any right knowledge and guidance.

He said the need of the hour is to guide Indian aspiring medical students onto the right path and not to leave them at the mercy of education consultants and foreign institutions.

"The students, parents and many among us have been continuously writing to the National Medical Commission about acceptance and validity of the education from various countries but the National Medical Commission is never answering the questions in objectivity rather citing Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021” (FMGL - 2021) rules back repeatedly that has created serious confusion among the students," reads the letter. 

The demand is that the National Medical Commission need to tell all the actual interpretation of various sections of the NMC - Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 dated November 18, 2021 and the National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 dated June 27, 2023, described as critical concerns below -

Concerns from Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 dated November 18, 2021 are:

Concern no. 1:  4. Grant of permanent registration to Foreign Medical Graduate – No foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration, unless he has – (b) Registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practice medicine given to citizen of that country.

We all need to educate the aspiring students going abroad for medical education as to what does this Section 4(b) of Gazette Notification actually mean, says the letter. 

Concern no. 2: 4. Grant of permanent registration to Foreign Medical Graduate.––No foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration, unless he has– (a) (ii) Undergone an internship for a minimum duration of twelve months in the same foreign medical institution.

Confusion has been created by many while explaining students about the Practical Training / Clinical Rotation/ Clerkship / Internship in CIS countries like Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan etc. 

The problem is same in all these countries; where the Practical Training/ Clinical Rotation/ Clerkship is now called INTERNSHIP and is said to be Integrated with the main course between 3rd to 6th year of education.

Concern no. 3:  4. CRITERIA TO RECOGNISE FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATES APPLYING FOR LICENCE OR PERMANENT REGISTRATION TO PRACTICE IN INDIA 

2. Eligibility for primary medical qualification in a country outside India: 

(iv) Duration of course: The total duration of the foreign medical graduation course shall be completed within ten years from the date of joining the course. 

Clarity is needed on the official interpretation in a simple language about “The total duration of the foreign medical graduation” as mentioned in last line, he said in the letter. 

Does THE TOTAL DURATION OF THE FOREIGN MEDICAL GRADUATION COURSE required to be completed within 10 years from the date of joining mean – 

1. Under Graduate Degree Course abroad. OR 

2. Under Graduate Degree Course + Internship Abroad. OR 

3. Under Graduate Degree Course + Internship Abroad + Registration / License Abroad. OR 

4. Under Graduate Degree Course + Internship Abroad + Registration / License Abroad + NeXT 1 in India + CRMI internship in India. OR 

5. Under Graduate Degree Course + Internship Abroad + Registration / License Abroad + NeXT 1 in India + CRMI internship in India + NeXT 2 in India. OR 

Concern no. 4:  The National Medical Commission Gazette Notification NMC, National Exit Test Regulations, 2023 dated June 27, 2023, 

Chapter 2 : Broad outline and General Features of the NExT 

2.1 NExT Step 1 

viii. There is no restriction to the number of attempts to appear in NExT Step 1 provided the candidate has passed both NExT Step 1 and NExT Step 2 Examination within 10 years of joining the MBBS Course.

The letter has asked how is that practically possible. 

1. A student studies MBBS equivalent degree abroad in not less than 6 to 7 years. 

2. He or she has to qualify NExT Step 1 in 8th year 

3. He or she has to complete CRMI in India in 9th year and 

4. He or she has to qualify NExT Step 2 in 10th year 

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