Relief to Foreign Medical Graduates: TN Slashes Fees for obtaining NOC by 90 percent
Chennai: In a major relief to the medical foreign medical graduates willing to pursue their internship in Tamil Nadu, the State Government has decided to slash the fees required to be paid by FMGs to obtain no-objection-certificates by 90 per cent.
The confirmation regarding this came from the State Health Minister Ma Subramanian, who announced on Friday that now foreign medical graduates will have to pay only Rs 29,400 for getting a NOC instead of Rs 3.54 lakh.
It is mandatory for medical graduates from abroad to undergo compulsory rotator residential internship (CRRI) training after clearing the national level exam, i.e. FMGE designed for them.
Generally, the students opt for pursuing their medical degrees abroad because of the cheaper cost of education there. However, in order to practice in India, they need to clear FMGE, which will be replaced by National Exit Test (NEXT), and also undergo the CRRI training.
In the case of Tamil Nadu, in order to enroll themselves in the CRRI programmes, the students need to pay fees to the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University for obtaining a no-objection certificate.
The medical graduates used to pay Rs 3.54 lakh to the University, along with Rs 2 lakh to the preferred medical college where they were undergoing the mandatory CRRI training.
Medical Dialogues had last year reported that the FMGs belonging to Tamil Nadu had objected to such a high fee for undergoing CRRI training. Finding the amount exorbitant, the FMGs, under the umbrella of Foreign Medical Graduate students' Wing of Tamil Nadu Medical Student Association, had requested the state authorities to reduce the amount significantly considering the pandemic.
Acting on the requests from the students, now the State Government has slashed the fees by 90%.
Speaking to TOI regarding the matter, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said, "Based on the repeated requests from students' association and groups, the cost for no objection certificate has been reduced to Rs 29,400."
"After considering the request and consulting with the CM, we have decided to slash the price," he added.
However, this reduction in the fees has been made only in case of the payment to the University. Apart from Rs 29,400, the students will still need to pay another Rs 2 lakh to the preferred colleges for enrolling in the CRRI programme.
TOI adds that the colleges will deposit Rs 1 lakh to the state's treasury and use the remaining funds for the development of the respective hospitals.
