The Gujarat Medical Council, after reconsidering the pleas of several foreign medical students regarding the three-year internship rule, has written to the Director of the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) to seek a solution to the issue.
A letter dated May 21, 2024, informed the UGMEB regarding the allotment of Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CMRI) to these students, for one, two, or three years as per the public notice by the NMC, dated December 7, 2023.
"I am directed to inform you that this council has allotted CRMI/internship to FMG candidates/students for 1 year or 2 years or 3 years as per the Public Notice dated 07/12/2023 and FAQs dated 11/12/2023, however this council has received numerous requests from FMG students pertaining to reduction of their CRMI/internship duration from 3 years or 2 years to 1 year, thereby making them eligible for permanent registration..." stated the letter.
However, Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) students solely from Ukraine and those who have completed their final year via online mode are mandated to undergo a two-year clerkship and one-year internship in India, as per CMRI norms.
These foreign return students retaliated against the rule, stating that it may take a toll on them mentally. While states like Haryana and Rajasthan have abolished the mandatory three-year internship, students in Gujarat requested an urgent review of the norm, so they can be liable for a permanent registration sooner.
Associations like the All India Medical Students' Association - Foreign Medical Students wing (AIMSA - FMG), and the All FMGs Association (AFA) have alleged that a long-duration internship would stretch their MBBS degree to eight to nine years, whereas, it takes about five and a half to six years to complete the MBBS degree, followed by six months to one and a half years to pass the FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduate Exam), and then a two-year internship. With the increased internship, it may take a decade to finish their degree.
The Gujarat Medical Council, therefore, requested the authority to provide them with a clarification regarding the issue.
