Latest news with #FMGs
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Kerala HC sets aside state govt order stipulating internship fee for foreign medical graduates
Kochi: High court has set aside the state govt's order stipulating an internship fee for foreign medical graduates (FMGs). The bench of Justice N Nagaresh further observed that, as the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act mandates stipend payment to medical interns for their service, the state is not justified in levying an internship fee from medical graduates. The Court was considering a batch of petitions filed by FMGs challenging the GO dated April 3, 2025, issued by the health department additional secretary, which directed them to pay Rs 5,000 per month as an internship fee for the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI). The petitioners, who secured medical degrees from institutions outside India, contended that the NMC, which has the power under the Act to make policy regarding the internship, provides no option for the state to levy any fee for CRMI and had already directed that no such fee should be charged. The state opposed the arguments and submitted that the NMC cannot restrain state govts from levying an internship fee on Indian or foreign medical graduates. In 2020, the state had fixed the internship fee at Rs 10,000 per month for FMGs, and, in view of directions from a HC division bench in a previous petition, the govt had refixed the fee at Rs 5,000 per month. Meanwhile, the NMC clarified that it had taken a policy decision directing that no internship fee shall be collected from students undergoing CRMI. Accordingly, HC set aside the impugned GO mandating the internship fee for FMGs.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Intership list for foreign medical graduates ready
Patna: After over 48 hours of protest, the list related to the internship of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) was signed by the health department on Wednesday. A large number of FMGs were protesting outside the office of the Bihar Council of Medical Registration (BCMR) in Patna from Tuesday morning, demanding the list related to the compulsory rotating medical internship (CMRI) be released immediately. CMRI is a must for medical graduates before taking NEET Post Graduate examination. The students were demanding the process related to the internship be initiated soon so that they could become eligible to take the NEET PG next year. The FMGs went on a protest after the list was released twice and cancelled. One of the protesting students, who graduated from Kyrgyzstan, said the first list was released on April 17 by the BCMR; however, it got cancelled because of a typing error. Another list was released by the BCMR on April 22, which was nullified by the health department citing a violation of national medical council guidelines as the number of FMGs in the list exceeded the quota set up by the council. The health department, in the letter, not only nullified the list for the violation but also made it clear that a fresh one would be prepared by it. Health department additional chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit said the file containing the list was readied on Wednesday, adding, "It will be uploaded within 45 minutes." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Patna: After over 48 hours of protest, the list related to the internship of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) was signed by the health department on Wednesday. A large number of FMGs were protesting outside the office of the Bihar Council of Medical Registration (BCMR) in Patna from Tuesday morning, demanding the list related to the compulsory rotating medical internship (CMRI) be released immediately. CMRI is a must for medical graduates before taking NEET Post Graduate examination. The students were demanding the process related to the internship be initiated soon so that they could become eligible to take the NEET PG next year. The FMGs went on a protest after the list was released twice and cancelled. One of the protesting students, who graduated from Kyrgyzstan, said the first list was released on April 17 by the BCMR; however, it got cancelled because of a typing error. Another list was released by the BCMR on April 22, which was nullified by the health department citing a violation of national medical council guidelines as the number of FMGs in the list exceeded the quota set up by the council. The health department, in the letter, not only nullified the list for the violation but also made it clear that a fresh one would be prepared by it. Health department additional chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit said the file containing the list was readied on Wednesday, adding, "It will be uploaded within 45 minutes."
United News of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
SC to hear pleas in July on non-payment of MBBS Intern stipends and NEET-PG 2025 two-shift policy
New Delhi, May 27 (UNI) The Supreme Court of India has scheduled the hearing for July on a plea highlighting the non-payment of stipends to MBBS interns across several medical colleges. The matter was mentioned on Monday before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih by counsel representing the aggrieved students. The counsel informed the Court that despite a prior listing before Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia on May 19, the matter did not come up for hearing. 'Students are getting zero stipend,' the advocate submitted, urging the bench to take up the matter on priority. In response, CJI Gavai confirmed that the matter would be listed during the working period of the summer vacation when Justice Dhulia's bench is sitting in July. CJI Gavai asked, 'When is he (Justice Dhulia) supposed to sit in vacation?' Counsel replied, 'July.' CJI Gavai said, 'Then we will list it before him.' The issue of unpaid stipends has been under the Court's scrutiny since April 2024, when it directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to submit comprehensive details regarding stipend disbursement across all medical colleges in India. The Court observed that the NMC had failed to provide full data as per its earlier directive dated September 15, 2023. That order had specifically sought a tabulated chart outlining (i) whether approximately 70% of medical colleges were paying no or inadequate stipends to interns, and (ii) the steps the NMC was taking to enforce stipend compliance. In parallel, the bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice K Vinod Chandran is also hearing a related petition regarding the non-payment of stipends to Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) undergoing internships at Indian hospitals and medical institutions. The same hearing also saw the mentioning of a separate but related plea challenging the National Board of Examinations' (NBE) decision to conduct NEET-PG 2025 in two shifts. Petitioners argue that such a move introduces an element of unfairness, as the difficulty level of question papers may vary between shifts, potentially disadvantaging one set of candidates. The petition calls for the NEET-PG 2025 to be held in a single shift to ensure 'just, fair, reasonable and equitable' conditions for all aspirants. The counsel pointed out that during NEET-PG 2024, it was alleged that the second shift had easier questions, leading to widespread concern among candidates. The issue was first mentioned before the bench led by CJI Gavai on May 23, and the Court had agreed to hear it in the last week of May. However, it will now be clubbed for hearing in July along with the stipend-related petitions. Both matters are expected to significantly impact thousands of medical students and graduates across the country and will be closely watched when taken up by the apex court after the summer vacation. UNI SNG RN
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
IMA urges medical council, govt. to resolve issues of FMGs
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Andhra Pradesh, has come out in support of the Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs), who have been waiting for Permanent Registrations for a year, and demanded an immediate resolution. The IMA, in a press note issued on May 23, said that after studying the reasons for the problems faced by the FMGs in the past few months, it has taken a decision to stand by them. 'The extraordinary circumstances prevailing in the world over the past five years, such as the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, have thrown these students into a state of uncertainty,' the release said. Now, that an interim medical council has been formed, the issue needs to be resolved urgently, the association members said, noting that the neighbouring States of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Haryana have successfully completed the registration processes for students with appropriate measures. The members said while internships are held for one year usually anywhere else in the world, the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council asked the FMGs to undergo the internship for two or even three years, wasting academic years of FMGs. They said the National Medical Commission (NMC) had suggested several guidelines to the State councils to address these unusual situations. Noting that the NMC, in its latest letter to the Bihar Medical Council on May 1, said internship and related matters are within the purview of the State councils, the members urged Minister for Health Satya Kumar Yadav to bring an end to the FMGs' issues. The IMA urged the medical council and health officials to take appropriate steps for the welfare of these students before further harm is done.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
SC asks for Centre reply on plea over foreign medical graduates
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a plea against notices mandating foreign medical graduates to spend extra years of internship to compensate for the missed practical classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic or the Russia-Ukraine war . A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih issued notice to the Centre and others seeking their responses on the plea within six weeks. The plea filed by Association of Doctors And Medical Students sought a direction to the authorities concerned to formulate a better scheme or guidelines for compensatory internship or practical training for foreign medical graduates whose course was interrupted by the pandemic or the Russia-Ukraine war. Senior advocate P V Dinesh appeared for the petitioner. The plea, filed through advocate Zulfiker Ali PS, said the petitioner is a registered association of foreign medical graduates. The petitioner's counsel said the issue was only restricted to those who on account of Russia-Ukraine war or pandemic had returned to India but again went back to Ukraine or China to complete their education and have already completed their internship. The plea said the students, after completing their education in foreign institutions, have the option of practising medicines abroad or returning to India where they can start their practice after clearing the screening test Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) conducted by the National Board of Examinations. The students before the court had completed their course through online classes supplemented with offline practical and clinical training. "The cumulative effect of the above described public notices and circulars is that those FMGs, who had to return to India owing to pandemic or war during their last year and completed their course through online mode have to undergo two years of internship in India and those FMGs, who returned during their penultimate year of course, have to undergo three years of internship to become eligible to practice medicine in India," the plea said. It also sought a direction to the National Medical Commission (NMC) to instruct all state medical councils to identify deficiencies or missed practical classes of FMGs due to pandemic or war. The plea said such FMGs should be allowed to compensate those missed practical classes either with completion certificate from their parent institution or with compensatory practical classes in Indian institution. It also referred to the April 29, 2022 apex court verdict in which the top court came to the rescue of MBBS students of foreign universities who faced difficulties due to the Ukraine crisis and Covid-19 pandemic. The top court then directed the NMC to frame a scheme in two months to allow students to complete clinical training in medical colleges here.
