NMC says foreign medical graduates can complete internships in India

New Delhi, March 5

Against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has said foreign medical graduates with incomplete internships due to situations beyond their control like COVID-19 or war can finish the same in India.

In a circular, the NMC said the same may be processed by the state medical councils, provided the candidates have cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination before applying for completion of internship in India.

“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.

This can be helpful for hundreds of medical students from India admitted in various colleges in Ukraine who had to abandon their courses and return home due to the ongoing military aggression of Russia on the country.

“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 said the state medical councils should obtain an undertaking from the medical college that no fee is charged by it from the foreign medical graduates (FMGs) for permitting them to do 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 said.