New Regulations for Foreign Medical Graduates: Time Limit Imposed on Screening Test

New Delhi: The nation's top medical regulatory authority announced that foreign medical graduates must take the screening test, or the National Exit Test, that will replace it in the future within ten years of finishing their course. Currently, there is no time limit for taking the examination, which is conducted twice a year. 

Individuals who have completed their medical education abroad must successfully pass the screening test to practice medicine in the country. Check: How to Become a Doctor

In a further expansion of eligibility criteria for medical studies, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has granted permission for students who have pursued Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or Biotechnology as additional subjects after completing their board exams to participate in the qualifying NEET-UG test and seek MBBS Admission.

As per the senior officials, the students are now eligible to take the examination, even if they have studied these subjects through open school, provided that the respective board holds government recognition. 

According to a notice by the apex medical education regulator, this decision is applicable, even to students whose applications were previously rejected. 

The NMC has once again eased its 2021 regulations for a three-month period, enabling students from Ukraine to pursue their medical education in alternative countries. This concession is particularly advantageous for individuals who enrolled in medical courses in Ukraine after November 2021, coinciding with the implementation of new regulations for foreign medical graduates.

Under this provision, the entire course, training, and internship must be completed at the same university. The degree, in these instances, will be conferred by the universities where the students transfer, the NMC notice said. 

The NMC provided clarifications on various matters raised by foreign medical graduates, addressing concerns from individuals unable to finish their education due to the pandemic or the conflict in Ukraine. 

Additionally, grievances were raised by students from the Philippines, where the duration of courses is 48 months, not meeting the NMC requirement of 54 months.

According to the regulator, students who enrolled after the 2021 notification came into effect will not be permitted to take the screening test or practice medicine in India if the course duration does not align with Indian norms.

The notification outlines the course duration, required subjects, and the maximum permissible time for course completion. 

However, individuals who enrolled before the issuance of this notification will need to return and undergo one year of internship to address training deficiencies in the foreign country. 

Subsequently, after obtaining temporary registration, they must complete an additional year of mandatory internship.

For students who physically completed their medical course in another country, with or without internship, a year of internship is mandatory. In contrast, those who pursued their course online during the pandemic will need to undergo one year of "clinical clerkship" followed by one year of internship. 

Although they will be eligible for stipends equivalent to their Indian counterparts during the internship, the college may levy a clerkship fee of up to INR 5,000 per month.

For students who returned in the penultimate year of their education, the notice says there would be a requirement for two years of clerkship followed by one year of internship. For those who have already joined an internship, they may do one year of clerkship afterwards and then one year of internship to total three years of training.

For students who came back during the penultimate year of their education, the notice stipulates a necessity for two years of clerkship, succeeded by one year of internship. 

In the case of individuals who have already commenced an internship, they have the option to undergo one year of clerkship subsequently, followed by one more year of internship, culminating in a total of three years of training.

Meanwhile, the allocation of internships or clerkships will be handled by the state medical councils.

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