FMGs face internship delays in Delhi amid PSM posting deadlock, seek NMC intervention

New Delhi: Due to delays in the allotment of Preventive and Social Medicine (PSM) postings, Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in Delhi continue to face difficulties in completing their mandatory internship.

Frustrated by the prolonged issue, the medical graduates have once again approached the National Medical Commission (NMC), urging the regulatory body to address their concerns.

Nearly, a week ago, the medical graduates requested the National Medical Commission (NMC) to grant a one-time exemption from its strict applicability due to the non-uniform implementation of the Foreign Medical Graduates Licentiate (FMGL) 2021 Regulations across States.

Now, the medicos have raised concerns that delays in PSM allocation, non-implementation of FMGL21 uniformly, and inconsistent actions by various State Medical Councils are causing immense stress to thousands of FMGs.

In a representation to the NMC Secretary on April 9, 2026, the AIMSA FMG Wing and All FMGs Association highlighted that State Medical Councils, including those in Odisha, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, are not complying with the NMC guidelines and the notice dated 18 March 2026.

The associations also raised their concern over the hold in PSM postings allotment in non-teaching hospitals in Delhi, noting that the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) had already sought detailed guidance from NMC on April 7.

It further stated that delays in resolving these issues could impact the future of over 10,000 FMGs across India, affecting their eligibility to apply for exams such as NEET-PG, INI-CET, and other exams.

They have urged the NMC to issue clear directions to all State Medical Councils at the earliest to ensure uniform implementation of regulations and timely completion of internships.

Explaining the matter in detail, Dr Kanishka Kalra, general secretary of AIIMS FMGW, told Medical Dialogues that non-teaching hospitals in Delhi do not have a PSM (Community Medicine) department. Because of this, the responsibility of allocating PSM postings falls on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

This year, the situation has become complicated. She said that initially, students approached the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), but DMC refused and directed them to the MCD. When the medical graduates approached MCD multiple times, they initially said that the matter had been forwarded to higher authorities and would be reviewed.

"After several follow-ups, MCD asked us to get an official notice from DMC. DMC then completed all the required documentation and sent it. However, MCD later stated that a recent Supreme Court verdict (related to Jharkhand) mandates that interns must be paid a stipend. Since many students had not received or had forgone their stipend, MCD is now refusing to allot PSM postings on that basis. MCD has also mentioned that they have responded to DMC via email, asking DMC to seek clarification from the National Medical Commission (NMC) on whether this stipend-related rule (as per the Jharkhand verdict) must be followed universally for granting PSM postings. Previously, NMC had stated that if a student voluntarily chooses to forgo the stipend, they can still proceed with their PSM posting. This contradiction is now causing confusion," Dr Kalra said. 

She further added, "As a result, students have been waiting for over two months. Many of them from hospitals like NRCH, ESI, DDU, Sir Ganga Ram, BLK, and others have already completed their 9 months of departmental internship and are now stuck waiting for their remaining 3 months of PSM posting. Students have been repeatedly visiting DMC, MCD, and NMC, but no clear resolution has been provided so far. Recently, on Monday, students visited NMC again. NMC asked them to wait until Friday, stating that they would send a reply to DMC via email by then. Now, we are waiting for that response, after which the next course of action will become clear."

Also read- Grant one-time exemption from FMGL regulations, apply prospectively from 2022 batch: FMGs urge NMC