NMC permits Ukraine returned Indian Medical Students to continue education in other countries
New Delhi: Bringing relief to foreign medicos hit by the Russia-Ukraine war, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has given its 'No Objection' to the Academic Mobility Programme for Indian medical students who are enrolled in Ukraine medical institutes provided that other criteria of Screening Test Regulations 2002 are fulfilled. With this, all such medicos who had returned from war-torn Ukraine will now be allowed to relocate to universities in other countries and complete their studies.
Considering the special circumstances, the apex medical regulator agreed to recognise the programme offered by Ukraine to allow such students to complete their education as the degree will be awarded by the parent Ukrainian university only.
According to the NMC Act, students studying in foreign medical colleges are required to complete their education and obtain a degree from a single university only.
The public notice issued by NMC's Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) stated:
"The mobility program offered by Ukraine has been considered in the Commission in consultation with Ministry of External Affairs wherein it was intimated that the Academic Mobility Program is a temporary relocation to other universities in different country globally. However, the degree will be awarded by the parent Ukrainian University."
"The Commission hereby conveys its no-objection for academic mobility programme in respect of Indian medical students who are studying in Ukraine provided that other criteria of Screening Test Regulations 2002 are fulfilled."
To view the official NMC notification, Click here
The COVID-19 pandemic and then the war between Ukraine and Russia had put a question mark on the future of several Indian medical students, who are enrolled at foreign medical institutes in China and Ukraine.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that after rescuing the medical students stuck in war-hit Ukraine, the Union Health Minister was contemplating the possible options for those students so that they could complete their medical education in India.
Finally, taking cognizance of the situation, the Supreme Court directed the NMC for formulating a policy within two months to grant temporary registration for those MBBS graduates who have completed their medical education abroad but were unable to fulfil the requirement of practical training in their parent institutes outside of India.
The matter was also considered by the Union Health Ministry along with the inputs from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) which was forwarded by the consulates of India from Ukraine, China, and Russia, among others.
During the deliberations between the members of UGMEB and officials of the health ministry and MEA, it was pointed out that 20,672 Indian students are enrolled in different medical colleges and universities in Ukraine, all of which are providing online classes to them.
Thereafter, National Medical Commission told the Supreme Court that final-year MBBS students who returned to India due to Covid and Russia-Ukraine war and got degrees on a date to be notified will be permitted for the FMGE exam.
In an affidavit on June 23, the National Medical Commission (NMC) said upon qualifying for the Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) exam, such foreign medical graduates will be required to undergo a Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) for two years instead of the existing one year norm.
The foreign medical graduates will be eligible to get registration only after completing the CRMI for two years. The internship period has been doubled to make up for the clinical training which could not be physically attended by the foreign medical graduates during their course in the institutes abroad and to familiarise them with the practice of medicine under Indian conditions, the NMC affidavit said.
Students are free to choose for themselves clinical bases for obtaining practical skills. Also, they were given temporary academic mobility to pursue their education, while they continue to be enrolled as a student of the university, it stated.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is considering a batch of petitions filed by Indian medical students seeking permission to continue their education in Indian medical colleges. The petitioners relied upon the report submitted by the Lok Sabha Committee on External Affairs on August 3 in which it recommended the Health Ministry consider accommodating the students who returned from Ukraine to Indian private medical colleges as a one-time measure. Given the said recommendation, the petitioners sought an appropriate decision from the Government of India and the National Medical Commission in respect of students from Ukraine.
Yesterday, the Solicitor General had sought time in the matter to get instructions from the Ministry of Health. The case has been posted on September 15.
