FMGE 2023: NMC Issues Guidelines for Foreign Medical Graduates from Ukraine, Philippines – News18

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) commenced the registration process for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in December 2023. Candidates willing to apply can visit the official website of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences at natboard.edu.in. It is to be noted that candidates applying for the FMGE December 2023 should possess a primary medical qualification from a recognised institution, which is to be confirmed by the concerned Indian embassy of that country.

Furthermore, candidates will have to submit the necessary documents as evidence to prove that they have qualified for the final examination of the primary medical examination. The Commission has also provided guidelines for foreign medical graduates who have completed MBBS from Ukraine and the Philippines.

Guidelines For Graduates From Ukraine

The Candidate must have completed a medical course in an institute in Ukraine or a course equivalent to the MBBS course in India in offline mode with or without one year of internship and have returned to India. Candidates are also required to obtain provisional registration from the concerned state medical council and thereafter undergo a one-year compulsory rotating medical internship as per the CRMI Regulation, 2021. Such graduates from Ukraine will be eligible to receive a stipend on parity with Indian Medical Graduates.

It is also to be noted that candidates who had a break in their final year and were bound to return to India owing to the COVID-19 pandemic or the Russia-Ukraine War and completed the FMG course, including exams, in online mode are also eligible. Such candidates will have to undergo a one-year clinical clerkship (CC) in India in lieu of a deficiency in their training from their parent medical college.

It is possible that the Indian Medical College may charge a maximum clerkship fee of up to Rs 5,000 per month.

After successful completion of a 1-year clinical clerkship supported by a log book followed by authentication from the concerned college authority, they will be allowed to begin CRMI, which may be done in a medical college or any recognised institute. Such students at the stage of CRMI shall be eligible to receive a stipend equivalent to the stipend received by IMGs of that college and institution.

Such students will be allotted, in consultation with each other, to clinical clerkship or internship programmes, which will be done through the concerned DME and SMC.

Existing FMGs undergoing internships will be allowed to continue to complete their two years before permanent registration is given by the State Medical Council. FMGs who have a break in the penultimate year of study owing to the COVID-19 pandemic or war and have completed the FMG course, including the examination, in online mode only will have to undergo two years of clinical clerkship supported by a logbook, further authenticated by the concerned college authority.

The Indian Medical College may charge a clerkship fee from FMGs of up to Rs 5,000 per month. After successful completion of a two-year clinical clerkship supported by a log book followed by authentication from the concerned college authority, they will be allowed to begin CRMI, which may be done in a medical college or any recognised institute.

Such students at the stage of CRMI shall be eligible to receive a stipend equivalent to the stipend received by IMGs of that college or institution. Allotment of such students to clinical clerkship or internship programmes will be done through the concerned DME and SMC in consultation with each other.

Guidelines For Graduates from the Philippines

The National Medical Commission derecognizes BS courses in the Philippines as per the FMGL Regulation, 2021. Hence, candidates who had taken admission in a BS course at the time of publication of the FMGL Regulation or were studying a BS course are not allowed.

However, candidates who have taken admission in an MD course on or before November 18, 2021, are eligible to complete the course and subsequently write the FMG Examination in India. After qualifying for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, these foreign medical graduates are required to undergo one year of internship in order to compensate for the deficiencies in their training from parent foreign medical colleges, followed by CRMI after obtaining provisional registration.