Reportedly a change in eligibility rules for the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam, conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE), has worried thousands of students presently pursuing their medical course abroad. The FMGE is a licensure examination and is a mandatory requirement for an indian citizen who has a medical degree from a foreign institute, to practice medicine in India. This examination works as a screening test for the Medical Council of india (MCI) and is held twice in a year in june and December.
According to a medical bulletin on tuesday put out by the NBE, on page 32, it mentions that those who wish to appear for the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam (FMGE) need to have their Primary Medical qualification degree certificate duly attested by the Embassy of india in the country from where the qualification has been obtained. Experts estimate that around 20,000 students are studying in china, out of which a majority of them are studying medicine. When the number of COVID-19 cases began to surge in china earlier this year, many of the students managed to head back home to safety.
Moreover the medical degree in china is a 6-year course, with five years of academics followed by one year of internship. A provisional degree certificate is provided by the respective universities, to whoever has completed their 5-year course. The degree certificate is given to only those who have graduated after completing the entire 6 year course. Earlier, those with a provisional degree certificate could attempt the FMGE. But the change in rules means a number of indian students who are in their final year of medicine will be unable to sit for the exam.
