The National Medical Commission (NMC) has advised Indian students not to get admitted to medical colleges in Pakistan. The public notice issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) came in the wake of a joint suggestion by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) that Indian students should not enrol themselves in any college or educational institution in Pakistan and students doing so would not be eligible to find a job in India or pursue higher education.
NMC has said that students obtaining a MBBS or BDS degree in Pakistan will not be able to get employed in India, and will not be able to appear for the test that students with foreign medical degrees are required to pass before practising medicine in India.
A statement issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) said, “All concerned are advised not to travel to Pakistan for medical education. Any Indian national/Overseas Citizen of India who intends to take admission in MBBS/BDS or equivalent medical course in any medical college of Pakistan shall not be eligible for appearing in FMGE or seeking employment in India.” FMGE or Foreign Medical Graduate Examination is a mandatory exam that allows doctors who have received their UG medical degree in a foreign country to practice in India.
Earlier, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had also warned Indian students. Both the regulators had said that Indian students should not turn to Pakistan for higher education as the degree there is not valid in India. In a joint statement, they said, “All concerned are advised not to travel to Pakistan for pursuing Higher Education. Any Indian national/Overseas Citizen of India who intends to take admission in any degree college/educational institution of Pakistan shall not be eligible for seeking employment or higher studies in India on the basis of such educational qualifications (in any subject) acquired in Pakistan.”
However, both the regulators had also given relief to refugees from Pakistan. The regulators had said that the higher education degrees of such refugees who have got Indian citizenship can be considered eligible for jobs in India after the approval of the Home Ministry. Not only this, those enrolled for such degrees before December 2018 have also been given concessions.
In a related development, the Supreme Court has asked the NMC to frame a scheme for Indian medical students in foreign countries who could not complete their courses due to Covid-19 pandemic. The apex court has directed the NMC for device a one-time scheme within 2 months for those students who not completed clinical training in their foreign medical colleges to allow them to complete such training in Indian institutes.
The Supreme Court said that NMC can test the students to find if they are eligible to be registered for completion of internship.
