Relief for FMGs as NMC reduces internship period to one year

NEW DELHI: In a clarification to its previous notice, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has said that students who have compensated classes in physical mode in place of online classes and passed an exam equivalent to MBBS in India are eligible for one-year mandatory internship. The decision comes as a relief to the Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) who were disappointed with the three-year internship rule. Recently, the commission refused to accept compensatory certificates for online classes and mandated a two to three year internship period for the FMGs.

“In continuation to the Public Notice of even number dated 07th June, 2024, it is clarified that all students who have sufficiently compensated classes in physical onsite in lieu of the online classes and subsequently passed examination equivalent to MBBS in India, shall be eligible for one year mandatory internship as specified in the CRMI Regulations 2021,” clarified NMC.

The commission added that all other conditions will remain the same. The rule is also applicable to students who passed the equivalent exam from other countries, it added.

Following the previous announcement, several FMGs protested in front of the NMC notice against the new policy and demanded withdrawal of the NMC notice citing delay in the process and financial and emotional strain due to the extended period.

NMC’s reason behind introducing the 3-year internship rule was that some students are ‘maliciously’ obtaining compensatory certificates from their parent universities. “The medical profession deals with precious human life, therefore the life of Indian citizens cannot be put at stake of poorly trained medical professionals,” it had stated.

Students who pursue medical education from abroad and desire to practice medicine in India are required to pass the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) and complete a Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI).