Permanent registration cancelled! Medical Council wrath on 7 doctors who obtained registration with fake documents

Jaipur: Taking strict action against 7 doctors who obtained registration by submitting fake documents, the Rajasthan Medical Council has cancelled their permanent registration. These doctors with MBBS degrees from foreign medical universities reportedly failed to clear the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) to practice in India and were found practising in the state with Rajasthan Medical Council (RMC) registration acquired with fake documents.

It was found that out of the seven doctors, two have managed to obtain positions within the government sector and are working at government hospitals in the Jaipur district.

As per a TOI news report, the fraudulent activities came to light when the council was verifying their documents from the National Board of Examination (NBE) in Medical Sciences and found that they had obtained RMC registration with fake documents.

Dr Rajesh Sharma, RMC registrar informed TOI, "Those who complete MBBS from foreign universities need to clear examination conducted by NBE in medical sciences if they want to practise in India. But these seven doctors failed the test and hence could not treat patients in the country. However, they managed to get fake documents as evidence of clearing the NBE exam, on the basis of which they got RMC registration."

Now, the RMC will write to the state govt to check if the other five have also got jobs in any govt hospitals. The RMC is now taking measures to ensure that such malpractices stop. For this the RMC has started verification of doctors' documents to make the entire process online. The RMC will issue smart cards to doctors with a QR code. On scanning the QR code all details of the doctor including his degrees, experience etc can be accessed, adds TOI report.

As per the existing rules, it is mandatory for a medical graduate from abroad to clear the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE). It is only after completion of the internship, that the FMGs receive registration to practice as doctors in India. FMGE test was introduced through the Screening Test Regulations, 2002.

Back in 2021, the National Medical Commission (NMC) introduced the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 and addressed the issue of grant of permanent registration to the FMGs.

Regarding the Grant of permanent registration to Foreign Medical Graduate, these rules specify the following:

No foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration, unless he has–

(a) (i) undergone a course leading to foreign medical degree with minimum duration of fifty-four months;

(ii) Undergone an internship for a minimum duration of twelve months in the same foreign medical institution;

(iii) Received a foreign medical degree with medium of instructions in English; and

(iv) studied the mandatory subjects specified in the Schedule-I;

(b) registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practice medicine given to citizen of that country;

(c) undergone supervised internship in India for a minimum term of twelve months, after applying for the same to the Commission; and

(d) has cleared the National Exit Test or such other mandated test or tests conducted by the Commission.

Medical Dialogues recently reported that the state medical council revoked the license of the Jhunjhunu doctor who was accused of removing a patient's healthy right kidney. Apart from him, the State Medical Council cancelled the registration of seven other doctors and suspended two more doctors for six months after finding them guilty in other matters.