FMGs- MBBS Students Clash at Bihar's Medical College
Clash Between FMGs and MBBS Students at GMCH Purnea
Purnea: While foreign medical graduates across the country have been alleging discriminatory behaviour by the government authorities in India, now the medical graduates from abroad in Bihar have brought similar allegations against the medical students as well.
Recently the MBBS students and the FMG interns at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Purnea, Bihar engaged in an altercation over such allegations of misbehaviour and the video of the clash went viral on social media platforms.
The clash happened after the brewing tension between the FMGs and Indian medical students for several months. Allegedly, the FMG interns at the college had been facing persistent discriminatory behavior and provocation from the MBBS students.
Explaining how they have been feeling targeted, one FMG intern, told Edex on the condition of anonymity, "Since we joined, we have been targeted by MBBS students. They constantly pass uncalled-for comments and subject us to unpleasant behaviour. We chose to ignore it, thinking they were our juniors and perhaps immature. However, after the new MBBS batch joined, they stopped greeting or interacting with us altogether."
Allegedly, the situation worsened further after the second-year MBBS students allegedly circulated a list of "Do's and Don'ts", and instructed the newly admitted batch not to greet or interact with the FMGs.
"No one is allowed to interact with Foreign medical graduated interns and don't greet them with sir/ma'am," read the do's and don'ts list. Sharing the list on X (formerly Twitter), one medico at the institute wrote, "This is what they published a few months back advising 1st-year UG students not to respect and greet FMG. Interns… We at GMCH Purnea have tried to act mature every time, even today, but these 2nd-year guys keep abusing and disrespecting not just interns but also SRs and JRs."
Edex has reported that some of the FMGs, who have been residing in the UG hostel due to a lack of space in the intern building, which the college principal had approved, faced taunts from junior students, who allegedly accused them of "taking over" their space.
As per the Daily, the situation escalated when on January 22 night, the FMGs, on the way back from their night duty, urged a few MBBS students to keep the noise in the hostel down. Even though initially it was a verbal altercation, it quickly turned physical.
Explaining the matter, an FMG Intern told the Daily, "This led to an argument. It started from both sides and, unfortunately, turned violent. As seniors, we hoped raising our voices would diffuse the aggression, but it only provoked them further. Eventually, our HoD (Head of Department) and senior residents had to intervene. After realising the situation was futile, we stepped back."
Thereafter, on the morning of January 23, the FMGs submitted a written complaint to the medical college superintendent. Even though the authorities acknowledged their concerns, no immediate action was taken, alleged the FMGs.
The medical graduates from abroad were frustrated by the lack of response and therefore, they staged a sit-in outside the UG hostel on Thursday, Janaury 23. However, the sit-in led to another confrontation.
Commenting on this, the FMGs said, "When we tried speaking to the UG students, first-year students arrived. Soon, the second-year students approached us aggressively, refusing to listen to us. What followed was a physical altercation on both sides. We defended ourselves but regret how the situation unfolded. We have decided not to escalate this or indulge in any arguments further."
Reacting to the incident, the All FMGs Association (AFA) wrote on X, "So, there was this recent incident between the 2nd year UG students and FMGs that shows mistakes from both sides. It is important for juniors to recognize that foreign medical graduates (FMGs) are also integral part of this system, and we will all become doctors in the future."
"Absolutely, disrespecting FMGs (Foreign Medical Graduates) by writing open letter and commenting on them, is unacceptable. Everyone deserves respect and recognition for their hard work and dedication. Attacking juniors is equally shameful. Let's promote a culture of mutual respect and support. I would like to request everyone to work on resolving this issue at the ground level," the association further mentioned in the X post.
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