Over 50 Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) visited the National Medical Council (NMC), Delhi, on Thursday, May 29, 2025, seeking immediate intervention in the ongoing internship allotment crisis.
Despite clearing the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in January, as many as 278 Delhi-based FMGs remain stranded without internships.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) conducted the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) on January 12, 2025.
While the next session, scheduled for July 2025, is also approaching, the FMGs who appeared for the January session are yet to be allotted their internships.
"Despite repeated follow-ups with the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), no official schedule, seat matrix, or joining timeline has been released, only verbal responses," they stated in the letter that the FMGE students have sent to the Secretary, NMC, Delhi.
The FMGs in Delhi are concerned that this delay might cost them their eligibility for NEET PG 2025.
A disheartened candidate explained that nothing has been posted about this on their official website or social media handles.
"DMC doesn't have any proper schedule to give to the students for submitting documents or any other process. They are just verbally giving everything," Shreya (name changed to ensure privacy) said.
Another applicant, Prateek (name changed to ensure privacy), complained that only nine of the 21 Delhi hospitals have offered them seats, violating the NMC's 7.5% FMG reservation rule.
"We can't even apply to any other state due to domicile issues. The registration fee is over Rs 10,000 and non-refundable. All states have given seats for the domicile students," he said.
"Both DMC and hospitals are blaming each other, leaving us all confused," they remarked.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Delhi government has proposed to dissolve the Delhi Medical Council (DMC). The council will be dissolved if approved by the lieutenant governor (LG).
This has added further obstacles for candidates already navigating significant challenges.
This problem is not exclusive to Delhi; foreign medical graduates (FMGs) in Bihar face a similar issue.
"This is not just a problem in Delhi or Bihar; FMGs are facing this problem nationwide. None of the systems in any state have a proper system or transparency. Every state has its process," Dr Sazia from Bihar expressed her concern about the matter.
"It's been four months since our exams ended, and both internship lists were cancelled. When we contacted NMC, they shifted the responsibility to the Bihar Health Minister. Despite daily visits to the office, we're told to wait, leaving our careers uncertain," she commented.
Foreign Medical Graduates nationwide urgently call for immediate action from authorities as ongoing delays threaten their medical careers.
