There seems to be no end to the agony of the Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) who had to return India mid way following Covid pandemic. In Spite of completing their mandatory two years internship as mandated by the National Medical Commission (NMC), many are yet to get the certificate of permanent registration from their respective State medical councils, thus leaving their career in limbo.
Now, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has taken up their cause, and complained about the disparities in permanent registration of FMGs post internship adopted by many State medical councils.
In a letter to the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandavaiya on June 20, the Association said that many state medical councils have misinterpreted the notice released by the NMC dated July 28, 2022 and were refusing to issue permanent registration status to the students.
It said that many state medical councils have misinterpreted the notice released by the NMC last July that said that Indian students who were in the last year of their undergraduate (UG) medicine course and have completed the final year online, on or before June 30, 2022, will be eligible for registration only after completing the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) for two years.
"There were students who had qualified the June 2022 FMGE exam before the NMC notice came in. There are a few state medical councils that have given permanent registration to these candidates after one year of internship and they have moved on in their career or taken up PG courses as well. Meanwhile, a few candidates are still waiting for their registration," pointed out Dr Aviral Mathur, President, FORDA.
Dr Mathur explained that there are discrepancies in the way different states have interpreted and implemented the NMC notice.
"This is very unfair that students who are from the same batch and qualified for the same exam are being treated differently. Now, taking back permanent registration of students who have already been given is not the way forward. We want to see uniformity across all the states and for permanent registration numbers to be provided to the rest of the FMGs as well," he added.
The FORDA has brought to the attention of the Union Health Minister that states such as Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have denied or withheld permanent registration for FMGE candidates with one year of internship experience.
“This has put the future of many medical students in stake. The Ministry needs to come forward to resolve the issue by talking to the States. We just cannot leave the students fending on their own,” said FORDA General Secretary Dr Sarvesh Pandey. The Association has also urged the NMC to consider allowing one year of internship for medical students who finished foreign degree online due to Covid restrictions as has been done for those who did MBBS from medical colleges in India.