Today, Saturday, October 5, the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Students’ Association (JKMSA) staged a protest at Press Colony in Srinagar, led by Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs), frustrated by the limited number of seats available for their compulsory internship.
The protest began at 1 pm, with students voicing their concerns over a lack of support from the authorities.
One anonymous member of the association, in a conversation with EdexLive, asked, "We just want the NMC (National Medical Commission) to accommodate all of us. We are also a part of this country, so why are we treated differently?"
On September 28, the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Council released a public notice stating its responsibility to allot seats for the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) based on the merit of applicants and the availability of seats in government and private medical colleges across the state.
Following this, the notice further mentioned, “Due to limited availability of seats, you are advised to ascertain/verify the seats availability in J&K and shall also simultaneously find out the ways to get internship done across India or from Parent College (where it is recognized by the NMC)."
However, students argue that finding internships outside J&K is difficult. "We are asked to go to other states, but many of them have already closed their registrations and are only accepting interns from their state. The root issue is that the J&K council is not accommodating us," shared an FMG student who participated in the protest.
Under NMC guidelines, FMGs must obtain provisional registration from the State Medical Council and complete a one-year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) at a government medical college. According to the protesting students, this requirement is becoming increasingly challenging to fulfil.
In addition to this, two days before the protest, FMG representatives met with council officials to present their demands, but the students informed EdexLive that the meeting was unproductive. "There were no assurances given, and the officials did not respond positively," the student said.
The protesters are calling for the NMC’s immediate intervention, citing concerns that many students are at risk of "wasting another year" owing to a lack of internship opportunities.
"There are 150 of us, and our state has enough hospitals to accommodate us, but they’re saying there are only 20 seats available. The rest of us will most likely have to waste another year," explained the student.
The students’ demands include:
- Immediate resolution of the internship seat issue
- Allocation of seats in non-teaching hospitals to reduce overcrowding
- Acknowledgment and assurance of their grievances by the authorities
Furthermore, EdexLive also reached out to Dr Wasim Khan, Founder of the JKMSA, to gain some insights regarding the ongoing issue. He emphasised the urgency of the situation.
"NMC needs to treat J&K like any other state. Our students are in a confused state of mind. Families have given everything they can to support their education, and now their future is in jeopardy," he said.
Dr Khan added, "Initially, there were no seats available, and we protested. Now, there are a few seats, but they are not enough. That’s why we are forced to protest again."
