Returnee medical students get special chance to clear exams

Once the students clear their Part 1 and 2 theory and practical MBBS examinations, they will be eligible for a two-year internship

New Delhi Undergraduate medical students studying in foreign universities who made a quick exit due to the Covid pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in their penultimate year of study will get a special concession to take examinations for their remaining two years of education as per Indian syllabus and be eligible for practice after completing the mandatory period of internship.

The one-time concession, given by an expert panel constituted by the Centre, was endorsed on Tuesday by the Supreme Court (ANI)

The one-time concession, given by an expert panel constituted by the Centre, was endorsed on Tuesday by the Supreme Court while considering a bunch of petitions filed by the students who returned from Ukraine, China, Philippines and other countries, and were seeking an order from the court to be allowed to continue the remainder of their education in India. Most of these students had completed their course through the online mode which was not accepted by the Centre or the National Medical Commission (NMC).

After NMC took a principled stand that giving entry to the petitioners would be unfair to local students, the top court asked the Centre on December 9, 2022 to consider the issue on humanitarian grounds as it involved the careers of more than 500 students whose courses technically ended after they undertook minimum three semesters of online classes, and could not return to their universities.

Pursuant to the order, the Centre filed an affidavit on Monday in which an expert committee headed by Director General Health Services, and with representatives drawn from NMC, and the Union ministries of home, external affairs and health, agreed to offer a single chance to candidates who returned in their penultimate year of study to clear the MBBS Part I and II examinations in one attempt.

The bench of justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath said, “We accept the report of the Committee as we do not find it appropriate to interfere with the opinion of experts.” However, the court found the condition of clearing the examinations at the first attempt a little harsh. Allowing candidates to appear twice for the Part 1 and 2 examinations of MBBS, the bench said, “In our view, there may be some circumstances beyond the control of students that may prevent them from appearing in the examination.”

Once the students clear their Part 1 and 2 theory and practical MBBS examinations, they will be eligible for a two-year internship following which the students will be eligible to appear in the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE) -- a screening test required by foreign medical students to practice medicine in India.