Foreign medical graduates staging a protest in front of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
Around 70 medical graduates in Andhra Pradesh, who completed their degrees abroad, mostly from Central Asian countries, have been put through untold misery for the past three months due to the uncertainty over getting their Permanent Registration (PR).
The candidates need to clear the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) after returning to India to get the PR. Once the counselling is held, a candidate has to do an internship at an allotted college. It is only after the completion of the internship that they get their PR, which is a must to practice or study further in the country.
However, the 70-odd graduates who completed their internships by May 2024 are yet to get their PRs from the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council. These graduates belong to the batch affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The graduates have been protesting in front of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada.
When the pandemic struck, all foreign graduates returned to the country and completed their semesters online. Some of them went back to the universities after COVID-19 cases came down and some did not.
“Those of us who went back got compensation certificates stating that we compensated for the lost offline sessions,” said Karthik (name changed), who prusued a six-year course at a recognised university in Kyrgyzstan from 2016 to 2022.
As per information, more than 30,000 students such as Karthik, took the FMGE in December 2022. Around 3,000 cleared the exam and 340 were from Andhra Pradesh. Of them, 70 students are those who had got their compensation certificates.
“Confusion arose because of the two notifications issued by the National Medical Commission on June 7 and June 17. The first notification said foreign medical graduates need to undergo a two-year internship as they attended their classes online. This is a discrimination against us. Those who studied in the country also attended their classes online. When we raised objections, the NMC withdrew the notification and released another which said those with compensation certificates could undergo a one-year internship while the rest should undergo two years of internship,” explained Karthik.
However, the 70-odd medical graduates, after completing their internship in May 2024, received a rude shock when they were told that they needed to do an internship for another year. Asked about it, A.P. Medical Council Registrar I. Ramesh said, “How can they compensate for, say, nine months of classes in a lesser duration? There needs to be clarification on this from the NMC.”
The students pointed out to officials that their batchmates from other States received their PRs immediately, and that it was only in A.P. that there was a delay. Dr. Ramesh said he, being a Registrar, could not make decisions as it was the job of the council members.
As per information, all members of the council resigned in June. The new members are yet to be nominated by the State government. Meanwhile, the future of the medical graduates hangs in balance as they have taken the NEET exam on August 11.
“Results are expected soon. Our anxities are increasing. We need to have PRs at the time of counselling. We have already wasted three months, we cannot afford to lose one year. Why are we made to go through so many hoops to get a PR?” asked another graduate, who did not want to be named.
The graduates said they did not get a stipend for even a month during internship. Though Dr. Ramesh has assured that the students would get PRs before the exam results come out, the graduates stay put in Vijayawada until a clarity emerges.
