Over 2,000 FMGs awaiting permanent registration from Maharashtra medical council
MBBS Abroad
Mumbai: With the National Medical Commission (NMC) allowing foreign medical graduates (FMGs) who attended online classes during the pandemic to register in India, more than 2,000 candidates in the state are now awaiting clear directives from the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) on permanent registration.
These students pursued their medical education in countries including Georgia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, China, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, the medical council has informed that each of these cases is different and not all of these medical graduates from abroad have completed the compensatory internship as prescribed by the Apex Medical Commission.
Confirming that over 2,000 FMGs from the State have been seeking permanent registration in the last year, MMC administrator Vinki Rughwani said, "We will have to deal with this on a case-by-case basis. We will have to implement the NMC guidelines with care, to ensure there is no deviation from their policy."
"The state council will take a student-friendly decision," he told The Times of India.
TOI has reported that some of these MBBS graduates from abroad who have completed their compulsory rotating medical internship (CRMI) are trying to repeat their internship in this country and are awaiting MMC instructions. As per the existing rules, the FMGs must clear the screening test i.e. Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) and thereafter undergo the mandatory internship, as required by the Apex Medical Commission. Only after that, the FMGs get permission to practice in this country.
Explaining the situation, an MBBC graduate from China told TOI, "We cleared the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE). We have completed our mandatory one-year internship in our country of degree completion. We... ensured that all our online classes were supported by offline classes and practical hours. Still we are not getting registration to practice here."
These candidates have alleged that the reluctance to grant permanent registration is only in States such as Kerala, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. Meanwhile, other States like UP had been allowing FMGs to practice and J&K recently issued a directive following the NMC guidelines.
"Countries like the UK and the USA also faced the pandemic, India wasn't the only one. However, those countries granted registration to students who had studied abroad after they cleared the screening exam. We are concerned that the MMC may require us to undergo an additional one or two years of internship here as well," said another candidate.
These students have now approached RTI activist Faisal Shaikh, who has urged the MMC and the Medical Education Minister to grant relief to the affected students.
NMC Directives:
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in a notice dated March 06, 2026, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of NMC had stated that FMGs who took admission on or before Nov 18, 2021 and have already compensated for online classes and completed internship abroad will be governed by the old rules (Screening Test Regulations). Those admitted after Nov 18, 2021, will follow FMGL 2021 and must do a 1-year mandatory internship in India (CRMI).
This triggered protests and opposition from FMGs, who argued that the notice was unfair, as they had attended online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and should not be required to undergo additional training again in India. Several representations from associations like AIMSA, AFA, and Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association's Foreign Medical Graduates Wing, Democratic Medical Association (DMA India) were submitted to the NMC for a rollback.
In response, NMC withdrew its earlier notice dated March 6, 2026, and the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the Commission issued a fresh clarification on physical onsite compensation for online studies undertaken by FMGs on 18.03.2026.
Issuing the new notice, the National Medical Commission (NMC) clarified that the medicos will not be required to undergo additional training in India if they have already completed the required compensation abroad.
The Commission also stated that FMGs who had to attend online classes during their MBBS course abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic or war will not be required to undergo additional clerkship in India if they have already completed the required compensation through physical classes at their parent foreign medical institution.
As per the Apex Medical Body, such candidates must produce a valid compensatory certificate issued by their foreign medical institute, confirming that the online portion of their course has been duly covered through physical training, additional classes, or extended course duration. Once verified, these FMGs will be considered eligible for registration in India.
Recently, highlighting the non-uniform implementation of the Foreign Medical Graduates Licentiate (FMGL) 2021 Regulations across States, the medical graduates from abroad requested the National Medical Commission (NMC) to grant a one-time exemption from its strict applicability. In the representation submitted before the Apex Medical Commission, the FMGs have requested NMC to ensure that the 2021 Regulations are implemented prospectively and uniformly from the 2022 batch onwards.
The medical graduates from abroad also highlighted the issue of State Medical Councils not following the NMC guidelines and the notice dated 18 March 2026.
