Medicos protest after Rajasthan Medical Council allegedly stopsFMG registration citing online classes
MBBS abroad
Jaipur: Several medical graduates from abroad protested at the Rajasthan Medical Council headquarters recently after the Council reportedly halted their permanent registration, citing their online classes during their undergraduate medical course.
The students have alleged that despite passing the screening test i.e. Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), which is mandatory to practice medicine in India, the RMC Registrar has withheld their registration.
As per the latest media report by Dainik Bhaskar, the protesting students- Dr Jaimini, Dr Yadav, Dr K Yadav, and Dr Bugalia alleged that the Council issued registration in April to more than 10 such students, who too have completed their MBBS from abroad and underwent online classes.
Meanwhile, RMC Registrar Dr. Girdhar Goyal told Bhaskar that the protests were held by students who underwent online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students had studied online for six months, while others studied for a year or more.
Considering the situation, the Council has sought guidance in this regard from the Apex Medical Commission regarding the length of the online courses that can be exempted for the purpose of registration.
Since many of the students have completed online courses ranging from one to two years, the registration process for such students will only be processed after receiving guidelines from the NMC.
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.
FMG Registration Scam:
The Rajasthan Medical Council's insistence on clarification from NMC comes amid the ongoing investigation into the fake FMGE certificate scam. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested 18 people, including a former registrar of the Rajasthan Medical Council (RMC), for allegedly helping unqualified candidates with registrations and internships with forged documents.
Among those arrested are a former RMC registrar and a former nodal officer. They were taken into custody along with 15 candidates who had obtained MBBS degrees from abroad but failed to clear the mandatory FMGE screening test, which is required to practise in India, and thereby obtained fake certificates to practise here.
Also Read: Rajasthan fake FMGE certificate scam: Former medical council registrar among 18 arrested
