NMC Relief: FMGs who have sufficiently compensated classes in physical onsite in lieu of online classes eligible for one year mandatory internship
New Delhi: After announcing its decision to not accept the compensatory certificates obtained by the Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs), the National Medical Commission (NMC) has now modified its stand on the issue.
Issuing a notice on 19.06.2024, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the Commission clarified that all the medical graduates from abroad who have sufficiently compensated classes in physical onsite in lieu of the online classes and who have cleared the equivalent exam to MBBS in India, shall be eligible for one-year mandatory internship.
However, the Commission made it clear that all the other conditions will remain the same as mentioned in the public notice dated 07.12.2023, through which NMC had issued clarifications on various issues related to the FMGs from Ukraine, recognition of BS course, issue of FMG internship etc.
The new NMC notice dated 19.06.2024 has been issued in continuation of the earlier notice dated 07.06.2024. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that through the notice dated 07.06.2024, NMC announced that it would not accept the compensatory certificates obtained by FMGs from their parent institutes abroad.
NMC took this decision after taking cognizance of the instances of medical graduates from abroad maliciously obtaining such certificates. "It has been observed that many FMGs are maliciously obtaining compensatory certificates from their parent universities for the online classes carried by them. The medical profession deals with precious human life, therefore the life of Indian citizens cannot be put at stake of poorly trained medical professionals. The UGMEB has decided that henceforth, Certificate regarding the compensation/supplementation of online theory subjects/classes with offline practical and clinical training shall not be accepted," NMC mentioned in the public notice dated 07.06.2024.
Clarifying that FMGs who underwent online classes during their years of study would have to undergo Internship for a period of two/three years, the notice further added, "FMGs who have attended their classes online for any duration during their course completion are required to qualify the FMG Examination and subsequently undergo a Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) for a period of two/three years (a schedule of 12 months to be repeated) as mentioned in the Circular dated 9.5.2023 and as per the public notice uploaded on 7 th December 2023."
However, FMGs started opposing this decision and reached the NMC office to express their objections regarding the same. Recently, after a meeting with the NMC officials, FMG representatives claimed that NMC had assured them to amend its earlier notice.
Finally, issuing another notice, the President of NMC UGMEB, Dr. Aruna V Vanikar mentioned, "In continuation to the Public Notice of even number dated 07th June, 2024, it is clarified that all students who have sufficiently compensated classes in physical onsite in lieu of the online classes and subsequently passed examination equivalent to MBBS in India, shall be eligible for one year mandatory internship as specified in the CRMI Regulations 2021."
"All other conditions will remain the same as mentioned in the public notice dated 07.12.2023. This Public Notice is also applicable to similarly placed students of who passed examination equivalent to MBBS in India from any other countries," the new notice further added.
FMG Internship Issue:
FMGs have been opposing the 3-year-internship rule of NMC for a very long time. 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."
To view the NMC notice, click on the link below:
https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/nmc-notice-19062024-241707.pdf
