Ukraine crisis: Foreign medical graduates can complete their internships in India, here's how

New Delhi: As the evacuation of Indian medical students from war-torn Ukraine continues, the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Friday (March 4, 2022) allowed Foreign Medical Graduates with incomplete internships, to apply here in India to complete their internships. 

"There are some Foreign Medical Graduates with incomplete internship due to compelling situations which is beyond their control such as COVID-19 and war etc," the circular read. 

The relaxation comes with a caveat that the medical student will have to clear the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) here in India to avail of this benefit. 

"Considering the agony and stress faced by these foreign medical graduates, their application to complete the remaining part of the internship in India is considered eligible. Accordingly, the same may be processed by State Medical Councils provided that the candidates must have cleared FMGE before applying for completion of internship in India," the circular added. 

Earlier on Friday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya regarding the fate and future of all MBBS students admitted to Medical schools or colleges in Ukraine and now returning to India due to the situation there. 

The IMA recommended that "all the evacuated medical education learners who are Indian Citizens and have procured admissions there upon seeking eligibility certificate from the statutory authorities in India and at various stages of progression there be adjusted as a onetime measure in existing medical schools in the country through an appropriate disbursed distribution...".

"Resultantly, on passing out they will be as good as Indian Medical Graduates and not Foreign Medical Graduates. This will not only be a great sucker to saving all of them from their uncertain fate and future but would also go a long way in catering to a larger human cause in a most befitting manner," the IMA said in the letter.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan has informed that over 11,000 Indians have been evacuated from Ukraine so far. This comes after Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, days after President Vladimir Putin recognized Ukraine`s breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

(With agency inputs)

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