A mass gathering and pan-India campaign, Chalo Dilli, was organised by the Foreign Medical Graduates Parents Association (FMGPA) and Indian Students In China (ISIC) at Jantar Mantar Delhi on May 29, 2022, from 10 am to 4 pm.
In order to attract the government's attention and make the public aware of the grievances of the foreign students who have been stranded in India for the last 2.5 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced border restrictions, the association decided to organise this campaign. Around 300 students and 200 parents participated in the protest.
The mass gathering led to a meeting with an official of the Health Ministry, who further directed the association to the National Medical Commission (NMC). On May 31, 2022, the association reached the NMC for further discussions, informed President of FMGPA Andrew Mathew. The association also met the Director of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Sanjay Roy.
Talking about the Health Ministry's response, the Haryana state president of FMGPA Poonam Gupta, stated, "The official gave three main assurances, namely, first, no discrimination will be encouraged against any students studying either in China, Ukraine or the Philippines and every problem will be addressed. Secondly, NMC will be participating in the meeting to decide what measures can be taken. Thirdly, NMC assured us that there may be a delay in taking a decision but it will be fruitful."
The FMGPA President takes us through their main demands from the government starting with the most important one — allowing Indian medical students who were pursuing their courses in China to return back to their varsities at the earliest. Or else, an arrangement of practical and clinical training in India until the return.
Another demand stresses implementing 'One Nation-One Registration' for all students as the norm followed currently is that the state the student registers in is the state they are allowed to practice in. The last one is to support students in attaining licenses and internships in India.
The FMGPA President insists that the government has to support the foreign students while the NMC should take regulatory action on colleges in Kerala and Tamil Nadu for not allowing registrations of these students for training.