New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC), the country's medical education regulator, has given ambiguous responses to aspiring doctors who asked identical questions about the validity of foreign MBBS degrees for practising medicine in India.
Legal experts allege that the NMC's "vague" stance on such a crucial issue has enabled education consultants, allegedly working in collusion with foreign medical colleges for hefty commissions, to mislead students into pursuing MBBS degrees abroad whose validity in India is questionable.
Two aspiring doctors sought clarification through the PM Grievance Portal on whether completing a six-year MBBS course in Georgia would make them eligible to appear for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in India to practise medicine.
In its first reply, dated September 24, the NMC reiterated its 2021 regulations and said that a degree would be valid for the purpose of appearing for the FMGE in India only if Georgia granted an independent licence to practise medicine upon completion of the MBBS course.
In its second reply, dated October 13, to an identical question submitted by another candidate, the NMC said that the provisions concerning the independent licensing system were being examined by the competent authority and an expert committee.
PTI wrote to Raghav Langer, secretary to the NMC, seeking clarification, but he did not respond.
"Education consultants who allegedly receive hefty commissions from foreign universities are misleading students by citing the second response, which said that the matter is under examination," Sachin Jain, Delhi High Court lawyer, who deals with medical matters, said.
He added, "They are promising students that the 'independent licence condition' will be revoked or bypassed through various other mechanisms, enabling them to appear for the FMGE and practise medicine in India.
"This will jeopardise the careers of thousands of students, as the NMC can only recommend that the government amend the law. It cannot do anything else because the law was framed by Parliament," he said.
Candidates said that when a third question was submitted through the PM Grievance Portal, asking which of the two earlier replies was valid, the NMC merely reiterated the provisions of the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021.
Adding to the confusion, Georgia's National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE) has also published FAQs that, according to legal experts, further compound the ambiguity.
On the one hand, the NCEQE claims that Georgia fulfils all the NMC's requirements for foreign medical graduates; on the other hand, it states: "Under the Law of Georgia on Medical Practice, graduates of the Medical Doctor (MD) programme are entitled, irrespective of their citizenship, to be employed as junior doctors without taking additional examinations. A person appointed to this position performs a physician's duties under the direction and responsibility of a person authorised to engage in independent medical practice."
Legal experts have questioned the NCEQE's interpretation, alleging that its FAQ could mislead Indian students and serve the interests of Georgian universities.
The NMC regulations stipulate that a candidate must be granted an independent licence to practise medicine in the country where they obtained their medical degree to be eligible to appear for the FMGE in India.
"However, the FAQ says that medical graduates can work as junior doctors, but not independently. They must work under the direction and responsibility of a person authorised to engage in independent medical practice. The NCEQE's claim that Georgia fulfills the NMC's conditions could mislead Indian students and benefit Georgian medical colleges," Ajay Kumar Singh, Advocate on Record, Supreme Court, said.
Lawyers have urged the Union health ministry and the NMC to publish a list of countries or foreign universities that meet the FMGE eligibility requirements to protect thousands of students planning to pursue MBBS degrees abroad from potential manipulation, fraud, pain and loss of career opportunities.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.