Row over Stipend: Around 100 FMGs in Punjab Waiting to Start Internship
Faridkot: Around 100 medical graduates from abroad are waiting to commence their two-year compulsory rotating medical internship (CRMI) at Punjab medical institutes even after clearing the screening test i.e. the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE).
The Punjab Medical Council (PMC) is reportedly dithering to allot internship seats to these FMGs because of pending issue of payment of stipend to these students, as per The Tribune report.
Most of the medical colleges/institutes in Punjab do not pay any monthly stipend to the FMGs undergoing internship programme. In this regard, already several medical graduates from abroad, who are undergoing the CRMI, have approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, demanding monthly stipend at par with Indian medical students enrolled in the Internship programme.
Amid this situation, the State Medical Council is reportedly waiting for the court orders before allocating seats to the applicants for the CRMI.
It is mandatory for the medical graduates to first clear the FMGE screening test and then undergo Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI), as per NMC rules, at the State Medical Colleges/institutes to become eligible to obtain a permanent registration certificate from the State Medical Council and thereafter become eligible to practice medicine in the State.
As per the latest media report by The Tribune, amid the indecisiveness on the part of medical council and the consequent delay in commencing the internship, some of the new applicants have approached the Council with an undertaking stating that they would not demand stipend during their internship.
Confirming this, the PMC Secretary, Dr. Akash Deep Aggarwal told the Daily, "We have already raised the matter with the state Ministry of Medical Education and Health and a proposal has also been sent to the Finance Department to allow stipend to all foreign medical graduates during their one year of the CRMI. We are waiting for the nod from the Finance Department."
Back on 28.07.2022, NMC released a notice and informed that the Indian students who were in the last year of their UG medical course and who had to leave their institute due to issues like COVID pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war etc., and who subsequently completed their studies and received course completion certificate from their institute on or before 30.06.2022, would be allowed to appear in Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE).
NMC had mentioned that after clearing the FMGE screening tests, such students would have to undergo Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) for a period of two years to make up for the clinical training which could not be physically attended by them during the undergraduate medicine course in the foreign institute.
Later NMC clarified that this relaxation was applicable only for the FMGs who were in the last year of their course. Last year on 22.11.2023, addressing several issues concerning the FMGs, NMC had mentioned that medical students abroad, who had a break in their Final year and who returned to India due to COVID pandemic or war and completed their course online such students "be allowed to continue to complete their two years before permanent registration given by the State Medical Council."
NMC also addressed the issues of FMGs who had a break in their Penultimate year of study and mentioned that "Existing FMGs, if any, already performing internship at present, may be allowed to continue with one year of internship. They may subsequently do one year clinical clerkship and one year internship. (Thus a total of three (3) years, before obtaining Permanent Registration from concerned SMC)."
Again on December 07, 2023, NMC released another Public Notice and addressing such FMGs who returned to India in their Penultimate year, it mentioned, "Existing FMGs undergoing internship be allowed to continue to complete their three (3) years before permanent registration given by the State Medical Council."
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