Despite NMC Order, Private Medical Colleges in Punjab & Haryana charging Internship Fees from FMGs

Chandigarh: Even though the National Medical Commission (NMC) has strictly forbidden the medical colleges from collecting internship fees from the Foreign Medical Graduates, several private colleges in Punjab and Haryana are not following this rule.

Terming it as miscellaneous fees, such institutes are allegedly charging Rs 1-2 lakh from the students. Since they are not allowed to collect such fees, the colleges are also not giving any receipts for the money, an MBBS graduate from China, who belongs to Punjab and Haryana, informed Edex Live.

He claimed that around 5000-6000 FMGs are affected by this since there are only limited seats for medicos from abroad in each of the government medical colleges.

Apart from the Internship fees, the medical graduates from abroad are also affected by the two-year internship policy mandated by the National Medical Commission.

Medical Dialogues had last year reported that the National Medical Commission (NMC) had directed all the State Medical Councils and Directorates of Medical Education (DME) for taking necessary action against medical institutes, which were charging Internship fee from the Indian and FMG interns and denying to pay them stipend.

In this regard, the NMC circular dated May 19, 2022 read, "It has been brought into the notice of the National Medical Commission through various sources that some medical colleges/ institutes across the country are charging internship fee from the interns, Indian and Foreign Medical Graduates for doing their internship in their colleges/ institutes and also not paying stipend to them."

Also Read: Take Strict Action on Medical Colleges charging MBBS Internship fee, not paying stipend to FMGs: NMC orders State Counterparts

"All State Medical Councils and Directorates of Medical Education are requested to kindly take immediate necessary action in this regard and ensure that no internship fee is charged by the medical colleges/ institutes from these interns Indian and Foreign Medical Graduates and stipend including other facilities is being provided to FMGs as equivalent to Indian Medical Graduates in the States/ UTs," it added.

Such directions on the part of NMC had been issued in continuation with its previous instructions given to the Medical Institutes in India, Earlier this year, the Apex Medical Body had clarified that the Institutes shall not charge any fees from the medical graduates abroad for permitting them to pursue Internship training in India. NMC had also directed the colleges to pay them equal stipend like the Indian Medical Graduates who are being trained at Government Institutes.

The reason for such relief on NMC's part was the fact that the medical graduates from abroad 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 National Medical Commission.

However, a recent media report by Edex Live adds that despite such a relief provided by NMC, several medical colleges in Punjab and Haryana are not abiding by the rules and charging internship fees from the FMGs in the name of miscellaneous fees. 

While commenting on this, a former student of Guangxi University, China told the daily how the private colleges in Haryana and Punjab are collecting fees from the Foreign Medical Graduates.

"In the name of miscellaneous fees, students are being charged Rs 1-2 lakh for their internships. The colleges are also not giving any receipts for these fees. About 5,000-6,000 students are affected here," Dr Rathore said. "There should be a mechanism to check if the state medical councils are following NMC rules," he told the daily.

Apart from the internship fees, he also referred to the issue of NMC rule mandating two years of internship for the FMGs. NMC had decided that FMGs without clinical training will undergo MBBS internship for two years instead of one. The internship period has been doubled to make up for the clinical training which could not be physically attended by the foreign medical graduates during their course in the institutes abroad and to familiarise them with the practice of medicine under Indian conditions, the NMC had clarified in an affidavit before the Supreme Court.

However, the FMGS had been opposing the decision of NMC and recently they approached the Supreme Court challenging the NMC order. Referring to the issue, the FMG from China told Edex Live, "When NMC brought out the 2-year internship notice, many FMGs had already completed a year of their internship, and the medical colleges refused to allow them to continue further. We approached many MPs, who wrote in our support to the higher officials."

Informing that the students had personally met the authorities at the Union Health Ministry, he further added that the State Health Departments had been asked for complying and allowing an additional year of internship to the concerned FMGs.

"In Haryana, about 11-12 seats in each government college were allotted to a few FMGs, but the rest were left to look for opportunities in private hospitals. We are hoping for a favourable judgement," he explained.

Also Read: 2 years Internship for FMGs without Clinical Training: SC Seeks response from NMC, Centre