VIJAYAWADA: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has reiterated that the quality of medical education cannot be compromised, particularly in the case of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) whose clinical training was disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a detailed seven-page clarification issued to the Andhra Pradesh government on August 7, the NMC emphasised that physical, on-site study of clinical courses is irreplaceable and cannot be substituted with online classes.
The clarification came in the wake of two recent Andhra Pradesh High Court verdicts that have caused uncertainty over the mandatory internship period for FMGs.
‘Upholding rigor of medical training is essential’
The first judgment, delivered on July 9, directed the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC) to grant permanent registration to FMG Katta Vamsi within a month, even without confirmation from the Indian Embassy regarding the authenticity of his Kyrgyzstan medical degree. The second verdict, on August 4, ordered APMC to issue speaking orders for four FMG petitioners in compliance with NMC norms.
Following these rulings, Special Chief Secretary (Health) M.T. Krishna Babu, after consultations with Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, sought clarifications from the NMC on key issues, including the required duration of physical, on-site study to compensate for time lost to online classes during the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. The details to be included in the compensation study certificate issued by foreign institutions. The state government also asked whether the standard course duration must be extended to make up for online study.
In its response, the NMC cited the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations and the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations, 2021, which mandate one year of compulsory internship in India after completing an offline medical degree abroad. For FMGs whose training was disrupted, the NMC’s public notices of December 7, 2023, and June 19, 2024, require an additional one to two years of clerkship in India, based on passport records, to compensate for period spent away from their foreign institutions.
The NMC made it clear that compensation certificates from foreign universities must detail the academic and clinical courses studied during the extended period and be authenticated by the Indian Embassy in the respective country. The regulator also expressed concern that complying with the July 9 High Court directive without these safeguards would lead to arbitrary relaxation of national standards, undermining the purpose of uniform regulation. It is recommended that the APMC seek more time from the Division Bench to comply with the court’s order and file for a review.
With the July 9 compliance deadline expiring on August 8, the APMC filed a review petition on August 7 seeking both an extension and clarity in light of the second High Court verdict. To resolve the issue, the state government had earlier sent the APMC Chairman and Registrar to New Delhi for discussions with the NMC on July 7 and 8. Multiple rounds of consultations followed, culminating in the NMC’s formal clarification. The matter now rests with the High Court, even as NMC maintains that upholding the rigor of medical training is essential, given that “doctors deal with lives, and any compromise can have irreversible consequences for society.”