New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) on Wednesday announced that the time limit for appearing in Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) or the NExT will be 10 years from the completion of their course overseas. At present, there is no such time limit for appearing in FMGE.

The Undergraduate Medical Education Board of the NMC on Wednesday issued a public notice giving clarifications on various issues, grievances and representations being received from various state medical councils, stakeholders including foreign medical graduates especially students from Ukraine and the Philippines regarding difficulties being faced by them.

Besides other relaxations, the NMC has allowed foreign medical graduates from Ukraine to continue their study from a different country (except India) stating the degree may, however, be awarded by the university to where they will migrate.

"In continuation to the earlier scheme dated September 15, 2022 namely Academic Mobility Program, NMC has decided to extend such scheme as a one-time measure to the FMGs returning from Ukraine to avail the benefits of said scheme and complete their remaining medical course.

"The degree may however be awarded by the University to where they shall migrate. This option of transfer/migration/mobility shall be availed within three months from the date of issue of this public notice," the Commission said in the public notice.

Ukraine
For foreign medical graduates from Ukraine who have completed medical course in foreign medical institutes (course equivalent to MBBS course in India) as offline mode with or without one year of internship and returned to India, the NMC said that they need to obtain provisional registration from concerned state medical council and thereafter undergo one year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) as per CRMI Regulation, 2021. Such students are eligible to receive stipends in parity with Indian medical graduates.

Covid-19
The Commission further clarified that foreign medical graduates who had a break in their final year and returned to India (owing to Covid pandemic or war) and completed foreign medical graduates course (including examination) in online mode only, they will have to undergo one year clinical clerkship (CC) in India for the deficiency in their training from their parent medical college.

The Indian medical college may charge clerkship fee from foreign medical graduates maximum up to Rs 5,000 per month. After successful completion of one year clinical clerkship and supported by log book followed by authentication from concerned college authority, they will be allowed to begin CRMI which may be done in medical college or any recognised institute.

Such students at the stage of CRMI, shall be eligible to receive stipend equivalent to the stipend received by IMGs of that college/institution. Allotment of such students to clinical clerkship or Internship programme will be done through concerned DME and SMC, in consultation with each other.

Philippines
For foreign medical graduates from Philippines, the NMC said that with effect from November 18, 21 ie with the publication of FMGL Regulation, 2021, the NMC de-recognises BS course in Philippines. Hence those foreign medical graduates who were studying BS course or had taken admission in BS course at the time of publication of FMGL Regulation are not allowed. However foreign medical graduates having taken admission in MD course on or before November 18, 2021 are eligible to complete the course and subsequently write FMG examination in India.

After qualifying FMGE, these foreign medical graduates are required to undergo one year of internship in order to compensate for the deficiency in their training from parent foreign medical college followed by CRMI after obtaining provisional registration. (Since their course is of 48 months only unlike 54 months MBBS course in India).

On capping on time limit to qualify foreign medical graduates exam, the NMC said, "The time limit for appearing in FMG examination/ NExT will be 10 years from the completion of their training/ course in foreign medical institution".