Kyrgystan Institutes accreditation row: Over 2,000 Indian MBBS students face uncertainty, medicos seek MEA intervention, NMC clarity

New Delhi: Over 2,000 Indian MBBS students undergoing undergraduate medical education in Kyrgyzstan are facing uncertainty over their future as 13 medical institutes in Kyrgyzstan reportedly failed to receive accreditation.

Although the students enrolled in these institutes have already been transferred to other accredited medical colleges, these students are concerned about whether they will be allowed to appear in the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), the screening test that medical students from abroad must clear to practice medicine in India. Under the existing FMGL 2021 Regulations, the National Medical Commission (NMC) does not allow students to get transferred to other institutes.

Highlighting the issues faced by these students, the All India Medical Students Association Foreign Medical Students Wing, AIMSA FMSW, recently wrote to the Minister of External Affairs, Dr Jaishankar, seeking the Government's intervention in the matter.

Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, AIMSA President J&K and National Executive of AIMSA FMSW, told Medical Dialogues that many students visited the Indian Embassy in Kyrgyzstan regarding the ongoing accreditation issue. However, the Embassy officials informed the students that they have already communicated the matter to the National Medical Commission (NMC) via email and are awaiting a response.

What is the issue? 

The issue started after several medical universities in Kyrgyzstan failed to clear the State accreditation process. Without the state accreditation, the medical institutes are not allowed to admit students or issue state-standard education documents.

Issuing an advisory in this regard, the Embassy of India in Bishkek released a list of 13 institutes that failed to pass the State Accreditation and also the list of Medical Universities that have been accredited only for One Year of the Medical Course for 5 years.

The list of Universities that did not pass the State Accreditation includes Avicenna International Medical University, ADAM University, Royal Metropolitan University (RMU), Altamimi International University, Ala-Too International University, International Medical University (IMU), Kyrgyz Medical and Dental Institute viii) Salymbekov University, Eurasian International University, Bishkek International Medical Institute (BIMI), International University of Medicine and Science, Central Asian International Medical University (CAIMU), Osh International Medical University (OIMU)

Through the advisory, the Indian Embassy in Bishkek advised the students not to take admission in these Medical Universities.

Transfer of Students: 

Kyrgyzstan launched a centralised procedure for transferring students from medical educational institutions that have not received state accreditation to accredited ones. The Kyrgyz Ministry of Health had specified the procedure of transfer of students, for both citizens of Kyrgyzstan and foreign nationals.

Students Facing Uncertainty:

Even though the Kyrgyz Government has transferred the students to accredited medical institutes, the uncertainty remains for the Indian MBBS students as the National Medical Commission (NMC) does not allow transfer of medicos.

Explaining the issue, a 4th-year student enrolled in a medical university in Kyrgyzstan said, "In the recent accreditation program held by the Kyrgyz Health Ministry, 13 colleges in Kyrgyzstan were disqualified, and the students of these colleges, which are more than 3000 hundred Indian foreign medical students, were affected, and all these students are being transferred to accredited colleges by the Kyrgyz government, accompanied by the Indian Embassy.

As per the 2021 FMGL regulations, we are not allowed to take transfers. But in this case, we are not taking the transfer ourselves; we are being transferred by the government." 

Recently, the affected students had approached the Embassy of India, which has informed NMC about the situation. "The Embassy of India has informed NMC and requested to make this one-time exemption from NMC, but there has been no reply. So, kindly, we are asking NMC to look into this matter and give us a one-time exemption because thousands of careers are on the line," the student told Medical Dialogues.

AIMSA Urges MEA to Intervene: 

Highlighting the issue, AIMSA FMSW recently wrote to Dr Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, and sought his urgent intervention. "We are particularly concerned about reports that some students may be transferred to institutions whose accreditation is valid only for a limited period. This could expose students to further uncertainty in the future. The issue may affect more than 2,000 Indian students and their families, who have invested years and significant financial resources in their medical education," the letter from AIMSA addressed to Dr. Jaishankar mentioned.

AIMSA has urged the Minister to intervene and ensure a clear and legally valid transfer mechanism for affected students, obtain written NMC clarification regarding recognition of degrees after such transfers, verify the accreditation and long-term regulatory status of receiving universities, and establish a nodal mechanism for timely coordination and assistance to the affected students.

"We request coordination among the MEA, Embassy of India in Kyrgyzstan, NMC, and Kyrgyz authorities to ensure that no student suffers academically or professionally due to circumstances beyond their control," AIMSA added.

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