NMC, State Medical Councils under CBI radar after 73 FMGs found practicing without qualifying mandatory test

New Delhi: The erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI), now National Medical Commission (NMC) and several State Medical Councils have come under the lens of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare asked the Bureau to investigate how around 73 Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) obtained their registration to practice without clearing the mandatory Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE).

On the basis of the complaint from the Union Health Ministry, CBI has started its probe against 14 state medical councils and those 73 foreign medical graduates, officials informed PTI on Monday.

According to norms, a foreign medical graduate must qualify FMGE/Screening Test conducted by the National Board of Examination in order to get provisional or permanent registration with National Medical Commission or a state medical council to practise medicine in India.

The CBI has registered a case of alleged corruption, criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating against unidentified officials of state medical councils, erstwhile Medical Council of India, and 73 foreign medical graduates, the officials said.

The National Board of Examination had intimated the Ministry of Health that 73 such medical graduates who did their MBBS from foreign countries such as Russia, Ukraine, China, and Nigeria during 2011-22 have not qualified its examination and yet got registration from various state medical councils.

Also Read: Supreme Court directs Centre, NMC to find Solution for FMGs unable to complete Clinical Training

Following this, an under secretary in the Health Ministry lodged a complaint to the CBI and cited two letters dated September 12 and October 17 received from the NBE in this regard. NBE also provided the list of those 73 candidates and provided details about those doctors along with their registration with the SMCs.

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, the Union Health Ministry mentioned in its letter to CBI, "Their registration status has been verified with the official websites of the NMC and respective SMCs. Such fraudulent and fake registration by non-qualified persons will be detrimental to the health and well-being of citizens. It has inter-state ramifications in health sector. It also involves many states spread across the country. It is requested to investigate how these non-qualified persons managed to get registration in India."

NBE has the responsibility for conducting the screening test mandatory for the foreign medical graduates who possess a primary medical qualification awarded by any medical institute from abroad.

While commenting on the matter, a source informed TOI, "It is suspected that an organised racket was at play through which the candidates managed to register themselves with the state medical councils by paying a bribe amount. The role of a few officials in these councils is being investigated."

Currently, the agency is recording the statements of these 73 doctors to confirm how they obtained their registration. However, it is not clear if any of the students airlifted from Ukraine are also on the list.

Also Read: FMGs with course completion certificate allowed to appear for screening test: MoS Health