As Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in Delhi await the assignment of their Preventive and Social Medicine (PSM) postings in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) hospitals with community healthcare departments, the National Medical Commission (NMC) raised concerns over the non-availability of internship seats for them.
In a letter to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Government of NCT (National Capital Territory) Delhi issued yesterday, April 25, the NMC referred to numerous representations submitted by the FMGs.
These representations emphasised their difficulties in completing the remaining three months of their clinical postings in PSM, which are an essential requirement for completing their internships under the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) Regulations, 2021.
Thus, the NMC directed the DGHS to take “stern measures against authorities responsible” for this disruption, and “issue necessary directions to ensure that these foreign medical graduates complete the balance period of internship.”
The commission also sought a detailed report from the DGHS on the matter urgently.
EdexLive previously reported that FMGs in Delhi are stuck in a bureaucratic struggle between the MCD and the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) over PSM postings, which stems from a Supreme Court directive mandating medical institutions to pay stipends to the FMGs they take in, or face a fine of Rs 50,000.
Due to these directives, many medical institutions are refusing to offer internships to FMGs, even if they agree to join without stipends.
However, FMGs also allege that their problem stems from systemic failures, which go beyond the ambit of the DMC, DGHS, or the NMC — simply put, there aren’t enough internship seats for FMGs.
According to NMC guidelines, 7.5 per cent of the total number of internship seats in Delhi hospitals are reserved for FMGs.
However, they say that this percentage of seats is insufficient for them, as their number exceeds the number of CRMI seats available. “The NMC based this decision on the trend of low pass percentages of the FMG examination. However, the number of students who cleared the FMGE is higher than 7.5 per cent and has even seen an improvement over the last year,” says an FMGs waiting for his posting, on the condition of anonymity.
Moreover, PSM departments are only present in teaching hospitals, the FMG adds. “Non-teaching hospitals don’t have PSM departments. We can’t even try for internships in other states, as many have their own domicile rules,” he says.
According to him, the only way they can be allotted PSM postings is if the number of internship seats for FMGEs is increased, rather than singling out individual hospitals.
Measures such as more funds to teaching hospitals to be able to pay stipends, and rules mandating a higher percentage for CRMI seats are some steps that could be taken, he adds.
However, between the DGHS, the MCD, and the DMC, none of these bodies have the authority to carry this out.
“Both the DMC and the NMC told us that they could not enforce an increase in the number of internship seats for FMGs. That power only rests with the Department of Health,” he says.
Between the lack of availability of seats, and teaching hospitals not taking FMGs in due to the Supreme Court mandate on compensating them, FMGs in Delhi find themselves in a state of limbo.
“Our CRMI has been halted abruptly, and we are stuck at home as a result,” says another aspirant on the condition of anonymity. “We cannot find work elsewhere as we are not yet licensed to practice, nor can we proceed any further with our education until we finish our internships,” she adds.
Due to this delay, she says that many FMGs will end up missing the registration deadline for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) this year, as they will not be able to finish their CRMIs in time.
As for a resolution of the issue, and the allotment of PSM postings following the NMC directive, she says that she has “no hope until the DGHS actually responds.”
“So far, we only got assurances from them, but no action,” she recounts.
