Coming to the rescue of MBBS students of foreign universities who faced difficulties due to the Ukraine crisis and Covid, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to frame a scheme in two months permitting students to complete clinical training in medical colleges here.

The apex court was hearing an appeal of the NMC against a Madras High Court order asking it to provisionally register MBBS graduate of a Chinese University. It was, however, of the view that there was nothing wrong in denying the provisional registration as “without practical training, there cannot be any doctor who is expected to take care of the citizens of the country”.

 “We therefore direct to frame a scheme as a one-time measure within two months,” said the SC.

A bench of justices Hemant Gupta and V Ramasubramanian said, “No doubt, the pandemic has thrown new challenges to the entire world, including the students but granting provisional registration to complete an internship to a student who has not undergone clinical training would be compromising with the health of the citizens of any country and the health infrastructure at large.”

The top court took note of the plight of the student who could not complete the clinical training physically in the Chinese institute due to the pandemic situation and said talent should not be allowed to be wasted and services “should be used to augment health infrastructure in the country”.

“We therefore direct to frame a scheme as a one-time measure within two months to allow the student and such similarly situated students who have not actually completed clinical training to undergo clinical training in India in the medical colleges which may be identified by the appellant for a limited duration as may be specified by the appellant, on such charges which the appellant determines,” Justice Gupta, writing the judgment, said.