Bachelor's Degree in Science in Philippines ineligible for MBBS in India: NMC

The apex medical education regulator in India, the National Medical Council (NMC), has said that Indian students pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Science in the Philippines will not be eligible for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in India. According to the NMC, BSc is a pre-medical course in the Philippines with subjects such as Biology and Psychology and is similar to class 11 and 12 subjects in India. Subjects such as anatomy, biochemistry, biophysics, and microbiology are not being taught under the degree in the Philippines, but these are required to make a student eligible for MBBS in India.

The commission, in a notice issued on March 25, said that according to the rules, foreign medical qualifications or courses which are not equivalent to the MBBS course in India cannot be treated as eligible qualifications for registration to practice Medicine in the country, as per an IANS report.

"The Bachelor of Science course cannot be equated or included with the MBBS course. Therefore, after the publication of the gazette notification dated 18.11.2021 i.e. NMC's FMGL Regulations 2021, the students who have already taken admission for any foreign medical qualification or course, is not equivalent to the MBBS course in India and cannot be treated as eligible qualification for registration to practice medicine in India," the commission said.

"The pattern of the Bachelor of Science course is followed by the MD course. However, in the BSc course, the candidates are not taught subjects like Anatomy, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Microbiology etc, rather they are being taught Biology and Psychology which is equivalent to Class XII in India. Hence, BS course is a basic degree course prior to the starting of graduate/primary medical course in reference to Indian medical education. "The same does not even qualify a candidate to be eligible for admission in MBBS in India," it added.