Obtaining a foreign medical degree just got easier. In a move that is sure to raise eyebrows, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has done away with the need for an Eligibility Certificate (EC) which was mandatory for all medical aspirants intending to take admission in any medical institution abroad.
The EC was being issued by the medical education regulator after ensuring that the applicant was holding proper education and age criteria to get admission in the medical institution in the foreign country. Every year, thousands of medical aspirants apply for admissions to foreign medical colleges.
Also, only those students having EC were allowed to sit in the Screening Tests which enabled them to undertake medical practice in India. Presently, only those students who have completed medical education from five countries namely US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are exempted from giving Screening Tests.
Justifying the move, a senior official in the Union Health Ministry said, “The move to do away with the EC was aimed to spare the students from unnecessary harassment and hassle at the MCI office while seeking the EC. There have been complaints that in many cases aspiring medical students had to wait for even more than six months to get the EC.”
As per the promulgation of the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2013 which was notified on September 28, “Indian citizens who intend to acquire primary medical qualification from any foreign country on or after 15 May 2013 are not required to obtain Eligibility Certificate from the Medical Council of India.”
However, there is a difference of opinion within the Ministry itself. A section argued that doing away with the EC would not end corruption. “Issuing EC at least ensured that these young aspirants got proper counseling and had proper eligibility criteria before applying to foreign medical colleges spending huge money,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.
Those who have completed their medical degrees abroad have not shown impressive results when it comes to clearing the mandatory Screening Test in the last four years. As per government records, only 21 per cent (around one in five) students, who received foreign medical degrees and appeared in the Screening Test, qualified in 2012.