Russia-Ukraine crisis: Foreign medical graduates can complete internship in India

“There are some foreign medical graduates with incomplete internship due to such compelling situations which is beyond their control, such as the pandemic Covid-19 and war etc. Considering the agony and stress faced by these foreign medical graduates, their application to complete the remaining part of their internship in India is considered eligible. Accordingly, the same may be processed by state medical councils,” a circular from NMC, which now governs medical education in the country after the Medical Council of India was disbanded in 2020, stated

The new regulations that came into force in November last year said that the medical graduates had to complete their entire education, as well as a 12-month-long internship from the same institute where they started the course. As such, many students who were evacuated from Ukraine stared at uncertainty owing to this rule.

The Commission, however, hasn’t taken a call on those who haven’t completed the courses yet.

As for internship, any foreign medical graduate who has completed their degree “physically” can be granted provisional registration by state medical councils for a period of 12 months or the duration remaining in their internship, the circular states. “The maximum quota for allocation of internship to FMGs (Foreign Medical Graduates) must be restricted to additional 7.5% of total permitted seats in a medical college,” it added.

The circular also informed that no fees can be charged by the colleges for giving the FMGs an internship. “And, they should be given the stipends and facilities equivalent to their Indian counterparts.”