On May 10th, 2023, the National Medical Commission (NMC) announced new guidelines for the allotment of internships in India for Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs). These guidelines aim to simplify and consolidate all previous guidelines issued by the Commission, and they were developed after extensive deliberation and consultation with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Under the new guidelines, FMGs will be required to undergo a supervised internship in medical colleges/institutions that are approved for providing Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) to Indian Medical Graduates for at least 1 year. The State Medical Council will be responsible for allotting medical colleges to FMGs, and the internship must be completed within 2 years from the time of qualifying the FMGE or NExT step 1 (when applicable).
The NMC has also issued a notice stating that FMGs who were in their final year of graduation but were unable to complete their course within the given period due to COVID and the Russia-Ukraine War, however, have been granted the certificate of completion from the concerned university on or before June 30, 2023, can still appear for the FMGE. Having said that, such graduates will need to undergo a 2-year compulsory internship in hospitals affiliated with medical colleges only.
FMGs who are eligible for internships can complete the same at any medical college in any State/UT, and the State Medical Council cannot deny the allotment of seats for such graduates. Furthermore, FMGs who have already completed 1 year of internship at any medical college in India are eligible to complete the remaining part at another medical college, depending on the availability of seats.
The NMC has mandated that all medical colleges cannot charge FMGs any internship fee, and they will receive a stipend equivalent to that of Indian Medical Graduates in the States/UT. In cases where there is no budget provision for FMGs, the stipend will be paid according to the decision made by the applicable State/UT authority.
Additionally, the NMC has decided to relax the previous requirement of a 2-year internship for FMGs and allow them to complete their internships in 1 year. To accommodate this relaxation, the NMC has provided a one-time list of Non-Teaching hospitals for CRMI. The State Medical Councils will be responsible for allotting FMGs to these Non-Teaching hospitals.
These guidelines are expected to provide much-needed relief to FMGs who face significant challenges in obtaining internships in India due to limited seats and other regulatory issues. The NMC hopes that these guidelines will facilitate the smooth and timely completion of internships by FMGs, which will ultimately contribute to improving the quality of healthcare in the country.
For further clarification on the guidelines by NMC, kindly go through this Circular. You can also check the latest information from the NMC’s official website https://www.nmc.org.in/
