Screening test to be taken by foreign medical graduates within 10 yrs of course completion

New Delhi: Foreign medical graduates must take the screening exam, which will eventually be replaced by the National Exit Test, within ten years of finishing their programme, according to a statement made on Wednesday by the nation's highest medical regulatory body.

The exam is administered twice a year, and there is currently no deadline for appearing.

Before being allowed to practise medicine in the nation, foreign medical graduates must pass the screening exam, Indian Express reported.

In an additional announcement aimed at expanding the pool of individuals eligible to pursue medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has permitted students who took Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or Biotechnology as electives after completing their board exams to also be eligible to take the qualifying NEET-UG exam.

Senior officials have stated that students will be permitted to take the exam even if they have completed these subjects through open school, provided the board has received the necessary recognition from the government. The top regulator of medical education released a notice stating that this decision would apply even to students whose applications had previously been rejected.

Additionally, the NMC relaxed its 2021 regulations for a three-month period again, enabling Ukrainian students to finish their medical studies abroad. Those who enrolled in medical programmes in the nation after November 2021, when the new restrictions on foreign medical graduates went into effect, will benefit from this.

The training, internship, and course must all be completed at the same university. According to the NMC notice, the institutions where the students relocate will grant the degree in these situations.

The NMC provided clarifications on a number of issues that foreign medical graduates had brought to its attention. These included complaints from students from the Philippines whose courses did not follow Indian standards and from those who were unable to finish their education because of the pandemic or the conflict in Ukraine.

Courses in the Philippines last 48 months, as opposed to the 54 months that the NMC specifies. Students who enrolled after the 2021 announcement went into effect are forbidden from administering the screening exam or practising medicine in India, according to the regulator.

The notification outlines the course's duration, the subjects that must be taught, and the most years that can pass before the course is finished. To make up for any training gaps in the other nation, individuals who accepted admission prior to the notification will need to return and complete a one-year internship. They must finish an obligatory internship for an additional year after receiving temporary registration.

Students who completed their medical education online during the pandemic will need to complete a year of "clinical clerkship" before beginning a year-long internship. Students who completed their medical education physically in another nation, with or without an internship, will need to complete an internship for a year. They can be charged up to Rs 5,000 per month by the college as a clerkship fee, even though they will be eligible for stipends during the internship that are comparable to those of their Indian counterparts.

The announcement states that two years of clerkship followed by one year of internship would be required of students who returned in the penultimate year of their studies. For individuals who have already started an internship, they can complete a one-year clerkship and another internship, for a total of three years of training.

The state medical council will allot the internships or clerkships.