Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in India have been seen staging protests in Rajasthan, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir regarding the limited number of internship seats for their Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI). As FMG students from Delhi were raising their voice against the unavailability of seats in the state, on April 27, Delhi Medical Council (DMC) released a list of the number of seats in various colleges. As per the notice released by DMC, there are a total number of 42 seats in four medical colleges.
This is the list of hospitals and seats, as per the notice:
1. Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) - 18 seats
2. Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College (VHMC) - 13 seats
3. Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) - 4 seats
4. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College (BSA) - 7 seats
The notice also states that no seats in other institutes are available for CRMI due to "administrative reasons", as submitted by the colleges/institutes. These colleges are:
1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
2. Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC)
3. Army College of Medical Sciences
4. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences
5. North DMC Medical College
6. University College of Medical Sciences
Expert reacts...
When EdexLive spoke to the President of the Delhi Medical Association Dr Ashwini Dalmiya, he pointed out that the state medical councils have a negligible role to play when it comes to the allocation of seats for internship as it is in the hands of the state medical colleges. "There are only 10 medical colleges which are providing the details of the number of available seats to DMC. Based on the available seats, the council is preparing a list. So if these medical colleges provide 2,000 seats, the council will allocate the seats accordingly," he said.
"As far as Delhi is concerned, DMC prepared a merit list on the basis of the FMGE score of a particular student. This process is very transparent. Only medical colleges of Delhi are entitled to allocate seats to FMGs," he said. Sharing his view on the causes of the current crisis of seats, the doctor quotes two main concerns. They are:
1. National Medical Commission's (NMC) revised guidelines allow students to pursue internships only in medical colleges/institutions which are recognised by the commission. This has comparatively reduced the number of internships seats
2. The revised norms don't allow students to intern at Diplomate of National Board (DNB) institutes as it was the norm earlier
NMC's revised guidelines
On July 29, 2022, NMC notified that it is mandatory for FMGs to pursue CRMI for two years instead of one. This is for FMGs who completed their undergraduate degrees and passed their Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) on or before June 30, 2022. This decision was not accepted by the students positively and they staged several protests back then.
Dr Ashwini Dalmiya recalled that earlier, before the revised guidelines, the FMGs were allowed to intern with DNB institutes.
Another concern
When asked about the stipend for doctors, the president said, "Every doctor has a right to receive a stipend. But because of the want of funds, every medical college is refusing to take students by stating lack of funds as a reason," he claims. "FMGs' interest is not so much in getting a stipend as they are more inclined towards getting internships," he adds.
What can be the solution now?
The president recalled that several FMGs have already approached the apex court but to no avail. "In my opinion, the representation given by FMGs was not apt and even students who have pursued online courses in India are pursuing their one-year internships in India. So why this discrimination towards FMGs?" he questioned.
The president of DMC said, "The practical solution is to reduce the duration of the internship to one year. Secondly, NMC should revise its decisions and allow FMGs to pursue internships in the institutions where DNB courses are being carried out." Additionally, giving an example of DNB institutes, he took the names of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital and Apollo Hospital, which allowed pursuing internships.
"The only required regulation is to increase the number of internship seats. No other decision like agitation will help students other than NMC revising its decision," he stressed.
