The National Medical Commission (NMC) issued a circular on Friday allowing foreign medical graduates who have not completed their internships because of circumstances beyond their control, such as coronavirus disease (Covid-19) or war in Ukraine, to complete them in India.
The regulatory body that oversees medical education and medical professionals in India stated that if the candidates have passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, their applications for completing the internship may be processed by the state medical councils (FMGE).
“There are also some foreign medical graduates with incomplete internships due to such compelling situations which are beyond their control, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and war etc. Considering the agony and stress faced by these foreign medical graduates, their application to complete the remaining part of internship in India is considered eligible,” the NMC said.
The move is set to benefit hundreds of Indian medical students in Ukraine who had to abandon their studies and return to India as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the former Soviet republic.
“The state medical councils should ensure the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) conducted by the National Board of Examination (NBE) should be cleared by the candidates seeking registration in India. If the candidate is found fulfilling criteria, provisional registration may be granted by the state medical councils for a 12 months’ internship or balance period, as the case may be,” the circular said.
The NMC also requested that state medical boards obtain an assurance from medical colleges that no fee will be charged to foreign medical graduates (FMGs) for completing their internship.
“The stipend and other facilities to FMGs should be extended equivalent to Indian medical graduates being trained at the government medical colleges as fixed by the appropriate authority,” it added.