Amid the ongoing evacuation of Indian medical students from Ukraine, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has allowed Foreign Medical Graduates with incomplete internships, due to compelling situations like the Covid-19 and war, to apply here in India to complete their internships.
“There are some Foreign Medical Graduates with incomplete internship due to compelling situations which is beyond their control such as COVID-19 and war etc”, read the order.
The relaxation comes with a caveat that the medical student will have to clear the Foreign Medical graduates examination (FMGE) here in India to avail of this benefit.
The move is set to benefit hundreds of Indian medical students in Ukraine who had to abandon their studies and return to India as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the former Soviet republic.
“The state medical councils should ensure the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) conducted by the National Board of Examination (NBE) should be cleared by the candidates seeking registration in India. If the candidate is found fulfilling criteria, provisional registration may be granted by the state medical councils for a 12 months’ internship or balance period, as the case may be,” the circular said.
The NMC said the state medical councils should obtain an undertaking from the medical college that no fee is charged by it from the foreign medical graduates (FMGs) for permitting them to do their internship.
“The stipend and other facilities to FMGs should be extended equivalent to Indian medical graduates being trained at the government medical colleges as fixed by the appropriate authority,” it said.
(With inputs from agencies)