Internship, permanent registration issues! FMGs demand 'practical' solutions from govt after assurances

Vijayawada: Raising the issues faced by the Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in the State regarding their internship and the delay in getting their permanent registration, the representatives of All India Medical Students’ Association-Foreign Medical Students’ Wing (AIMSA-FMSW), met key officers in the Health Department recently.

The Association's meeting with the Health Department officials comes after they recently had a discussion about these issues with the Chief Minister of the State N. Chandrababu Naidu on January 30, 2025.

During the meeting with the FMG students, officials from the Health Ministry including Special Chief Secretary, Sri T Krishna Babu, IAS, and Dr. DSVL Narsimham, Director of Medical Education, AP were present.

Even though the meeting resulted in positive assurances on several points, the medical graduates from abroad have raised their concerns regarding the "practicality" of the solutions offered.

Issuing a Press Release after the meeting, AIMSA-FMSW, Andhra Pradesh informed that the Health Ministry officials assured the medical graduates from abroad of their commitment to expediting the issuance of Permanent Registrations (PRs) to eligible FMGs who are awaiting them, subject to the verification of valid compensation letters.

Also Read: Andhra FMGs Oppose 3-year Internship, Protest Demanding Permanent Registration

"They also pledged to issue Temporary Registrations (TRs) and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) promptly and to release an official public notice clarifying counselling guidelines. Furthermore, officials indicated their willingness to revise allotment orders from two/three years to one year for students who fall under the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines. The matter of stipends for FMGs undergoing internships will be considered after consultation with the Chief Minister's office," mentioned the release.

One of the major issues that was discussed during the meeting was regarding the format of compensation letters required for PR issuance. As per the release, even though the parent universities have already provided the compensation letters, officials stated that they would release a new prescribed format.

"AIMSA-FMSW expressed serious concerns about this requirement, emphasizing the significant logistical challenges it poses. Requiring universities to reissue letters in a new format places a considerable burden on both the institutions and the FMGs. Universities will be required to meticulously review records, a process that could take months, potentially impacting the timelines for PR issuance. Obtaining hard copies of these new letters presents a further obstacle, especially for FMGs who may be located far from their parent universities," the release mentioned.

"AIMSA-FMSW stressed that the previous process of obtaining compensation certificates proved extremely difficult. The prospect of repeating this process is daunting and consumes valuable time that FMGs need to dedicate to their internships and preparation for examinations. The association highlighted that every other state in India has issued Permanent Registrations by verifying the genuineness of the compensation certificates already issued by parent universities. FMG colleagues in other states are already enrolled in their PG studies. AIMSA-FMSW urged officials to consider the practice in other states, where the genuineness of existing compensation certificates issued by parent universities is verified for PR issuance. We hope the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC) follows the same practice as other states—verifying the genuineness of the already issued compensation certificates and issuing PRs—allowing FMGs in Andhra Pradesh to begin their postgraduate studies without further delay. AIMSA-FMSW believes this approach would be more efficient and less disruptive for FMGs," it added.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry officials have informed the association that the new format for the compensation letter will be released on the APMC website in the coming 1-2 days and the streamlined process will be effective immediately.

Speaking to Medical Dialogues in this regard, the members of the association informed, "Getting a compensation certificate again despite the existing compensation certificate issued by the parent university is a time-consuming process( 3 to 4 months). The university is ready to give certificates to those who have not received them yet. But reissuing it to those who were issued earlier is an issue. Most of them decline to give it for a second time. So, this decision may affect the majority of the FMGs."

"Other states verify the genuineness of the compensation certificates issued by the parent universities and issue Permanent Registrations to the FMGs. Most of our FMG colleagues are already in PG studies while we are still waiting for the PRs in AP. Already 8-9 months of time has been wasted because of the delay in issuing PR," the association informed, further adding that in case the compensation certificate is required in a new format, it is possible for those applying for counselling now to obtain the same in the new format.

Also Read: Andhra FMGs Oppose 3-year Internship, Protest Demanding Permanent Registration

Medical Dialogues has been reporting about the issues faced by the FMGs while obtaining permanent registration. They were also complaining about the tenure of the internship assigned to them even though they duly compensated for their online classes. Reportedly, around 150 students, who pursued their medical education from abroad and applied for permanent registration after completing their one-year internship back in May, had not been allotted the Permanent Registration.

As per the association, NMC guidelines state that 1year internship is allocated only to those students who returned back to their countries and compensated their missed classes. But students claim that APMC failed to implement the NMC guidelines which in turn affected more than 200 students. Even though they comply with the NMC guidelines, allegedly, they are being allotted 2-3 years of internship, in violation of the NMC directives, alleged the association.

Recently they submitted a representation to the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council highlighting their concerns. Their demands included the issuance of Permanent Registrations for the FMGE December 2022 and FMGE June 2023 Batch, compliance with NMC notice dated 19.06.2024, registrations for students who graduated pre-COVID or entirely offline, recertification and internship allotments for FMGE June 2022 passouts, publication of FMG counselling guidelines, issuance of provisional registrations for current interns, equitable treatment in allotment orders and permanent registrations, appointments of APMC Chairman and full Board of council members etc.

Earlier, the association alleged that every time they approach the Council for a solution, the officials cite reasons like lack of clarification from the National Medical Commission (NMC) or the absence of a Chairman and Board in the Council, etc.