No provision in law to accommodate Ukraine-returned medical students for practical training, says Health Ministry

Govt said this in response to a question asked in Lok Sabha about West bengal allocating seats for practical training to 412 medical students who had returned from Ukraine.

Union minister of state for health and family welfare Bharti Pravin Pawar. (Screenshot: YouTube/LSTV)

Two months after the Mamta government allocated seats for practical training to 412 medical students who had returned from Ukraine to West Bengal, the union minister of state for health and family welfare Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar said in a Lok Sabha answer said that there were no provisions in the acts governing medical education to allow such transfer from other countries. “Therefore, no permission has been given by the NMC to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students in any Indian medical institute or university,” the answer read.

Read | As war rages, Ukraine returnees consider opting out of Ukrainian universities

The answer states, “As informed by National Medical Commission (NMC), the regulatory body of medical education in the country, no such information is available with them,” when asked about whether 400 students were accommodated by the West Bengal government in state universities. All admissions to MBBS seats – even the 85% seats under the state quota – happen according to the ranks of the students on National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET).

Indian Express had previously reported that officials from the National Medical Commission were very clear that no such permission had been sought or granted. And, students who complete their education in such a manner will not be eligible to appear for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), without which no medical student from foreign universities – barring from a few countries like UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia – have to appear for the exam and pass it in order to practice in India.

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As a concession for the on-going war and the pandemic, the undergraduate medical board has proposed a one-time relaxation for the final year students to complete their practical training in India and sit for the FMGE. They would need to complete two years of internship in the country to be eligible for permanent registration.

Currently, foreign medical graduates have to complete their training and a one-year internship at the university they are enrolled in order to appear for the FMGE exam in India. They then have to do a one-year long internship in India as well in order to get permanent registration. This proposal is yet to be accepted by the union health ministry and the Supreme Court where a case is underway.

Also read | With lack of clarity from NMC, students back from Ukraine depend on online classes

Of the 412 people the West Bengal government allotted seats to, only 23 were final year students who have been allowed to complete internship in government medical colleges. Another 135 fourth and fifth year students have been allowed to complete their theoretical training online from colleges in Ukraine while receiving practical training in India. Another 172 students from the second and third year have been allowed to attend practical classes in India. And, 78 first year students who had appeared for the same year’s NEET were allowed to undergo counselling for management quota seats in private colleges, with the government urging them to give concession on the fees.

Under the current rules, students in third year and above are allowed to change universities. Although they may choose to go to other countries such as Russia, China, or Kazakhstan that offer courses at similar fees, admission in India will have to be allowed by NMC. This is not something officials are in favour of as the seat in the country is limited and each year several fold students appear for the screening test.

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For the first and second year students, who joined the courses after the new guidelines came into force in November 2021, are not allowed to even change universities and would have to appear for NEET again and re-start their education.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More