FMGs protest internship delay, Delhi medical council says financial approval likely next week

New Delhi: Hundreds of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) gathered at the Delhi Medical Council to protest against the prolonged delay in internship allotment.

The protest was led by Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) on June 3, 2026 in the presence of Dr. Bibhu Anand, Chief Advisor, FAIMA, who coordinated with the FMGs and DMC officials throughout the discussions. The coordination of the protest and follow-up was led by Dr. Samar Kumar, National FMG Incharge, FAIMA.

During the meeting, several critical issues were raised by Dr. Bibhu before the medical council officials and concerned authorities. The association highlighted that FMGs have been waiting for internship allotment for more than five months. The primary reason cited for the delay is the lack of financial approval for stipend disbursement.

As per the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the National Medical Commission (NMC), FMGs in Delhi are entitled to receive equal stipend during internship. However, despite these clear directions, internship seats have not been allotted, with authorities repeatedly citing pending financial approval.

"This is not the first time FMGs have approached the authorities. FMGs from association Dr Divya, Dr Animesh, Dr Minakshi, Dr Kushmit visited DMC on multiple occasions over the past several months, but no concrete resolution was provided. Prior to today’s protest, a delegation of FMGs also met the Hon’ble Health Minister of Delhi, Dr. Pankaj Singh, to raise concerns regarding the financial approval and internship delay. Additionally, several FMGs attended the Janata Darbar of Hon’ble Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ji a few days ago, where they submitted documents detailing the entire issue," the association in a statement told Medical Dialogues.

Following yesterday’s protest and extensive discussions with DMC officials, the medical graduates received an important assurance. The authorities informed them that an official letter and email regarding the matter have been sent to Dr. Sushma Jain current Registrar of DMC for immediate action.

After several hours of discussion, DMC conveyed that the pending file is expected to receive financial clearance by next week, most likely by Friday. Along with this, DMC has also assured that FMGs will receive an official update by Tuesday.

"We remain hopeful that the assurances given today will be translated into prompt action. We sincerely thank every FMG who stood united today and express our heartfelt gratitude to FAIMA and all the other associations that extended their support and joined us in this collective fight for justice," the statment mentioned.

Medical Dialogues had reported that FMGs facing delays in securing their mandatory internships staged a protest at the Delhi Medical Council office, demanding an immediate resolution to their ongoing internship crisis. The protest was called by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and was held at 11:30 AM at the Delhi Medical Council office.

The association had demanded equal opportunities for all qualified FMGs, transparent policies regarding internship allocation, and timely allotment of internship seats. According to FAIMA, these are the rights of every qualified medical graduate.

Also read- FMG internship delay: Doctors' body stages protest at Delhi medical council office