Team Bharat Education 
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Published on:
May 06, 2024
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165
The issue of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGS) not receiving stipends has been a cause for concern for a long time. Recently, while hearing a writ petition, the Supreme Court directed medical colleges to pay a stipend to FMG interns, in parity with the domestic MBBS interns. A few colleges have asked the FMG interns to submit authorised affidavits, confirming that they would not demand a stipend during their internship. Also, a few medical colleges have completely withdrawn the seats for FMG candidates.
FMG interns had no choice but to succumb to the demands of the medical colleges. Most candidates are succumbing to the pressures and want to somehow complete their two year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) to become eligible to receive a permanent registration certificate from the State Medical Council.
In April, the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) notified a college wise distribution of seats available for internships in all the categories in various medical colleges in Delhi. The list revealed there are no seats available for the FMGs to undergo the CRMI at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Maulana Azad Medical College, Army College of Medical Science, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences & RML Hospital. These medical colleges cited administrative reasons behind the non availability of internship opportunities for FMGS. The FMGs find it hard to get internships in Delhi, the reasons behind this are the non availability of seats in the approved medical colleges
and the alleged lack of funds to pay stipends to FMGs. This year there are only 60 approved seats available for the FGMs looking out for internships. We are still waiting for Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) to declare the number of seats they can offer to the FMGS. After repeated followups from DMC, the college administration has refused to absorb any FMG for internships this year, owing to the lack of funds to pay stipends. Last year, MAMC offered as many as 18 seats, says Dr Girish Tyagi, secretary, Delhi Medical Council (DMC). Subsequently, North Delhi Municipal Medical College (NDMMC) also known as Hindu Rao Hospital, on January 18, announced five seats for FMG interns, which was announced by the DMC through its counselling list. However, the hospital notified the DMC about the cancellation of the seats on April 29, citing the non availability of funds for stipends and lack of infrastructure as the reason. However, after a meeting with DMC, the hospital was ready to accommodate five FMG interns but has asked interns to submit a sig- ned and authorised affidavit that they are willing to intern with the hospital without a stipend, adds Tyagi. Dr Kaushal, media coordinator, All FMGs Association (AFA) says, On May 1, 2024, several members of AFA held a meeting with NMC to discuss the issue of non availability of seats in Delhi and urged the NMC to allow non teaching health institutions to offer internships to FMGs, as many have failed to find the internships in Delhi. In 2023, internship seats were increased to 587 seats in Delhi alone after NMC allowed standalone postgraduate medical institutes imparting DNB training, and non teaching hospitals to accommodate FMGs as interns.
The sad state where the FMGs are forced to sign an undertaking that they would not demand any stipend has been created by various medical colleges not only in the national capital but in many states like Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab, adds Dr Kaushal.
According to the NMC regulations, FMGs are eligible to receive stipends in parity with Indian Medical Graduates (IMGs) and medical colleges cannot charge internship fees from the interns. Atal Medical and Research University, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh (HP) have notified the high internship fees from the FMG interns instead of paying them a stipend. Dr RP Govt Medical College and Hospital Kangra at Tanda have demanded an internship fee of Rs 1,92,000 and offered eight seats. However, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Govt Medical College & Hospital, Mandi at Nerchwok have removed seats for FMG internship for the 2024-25 academic session.
Published By: Education Times
Dated: 06.05.2024
