The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Centre seeking its response on a petition challenging the imposition of extended internship periods for foreign medical graduates (FMGs) whose studies were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic or the Russia-Ukraine war.
A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih granted six weeks for the Centre and other respondents to file their replies.
The petition, filed by the Association of Doctors and Medical Students through advocate Zulfiker Ali PS, urged the Court to direct authorities to devise a more equitable framework for compensatory internship or practical training. The petitioners include FMGs who had returned to India during the pandemic or the war, subsequently completed their education abroad, and undertaken internships, yet are now required to repeat extended internships to be eligible to practice in India.
Senior advocate P V Dinesh, appearing for the petitioners, clarified that the plea pertains solely to those FMGs who returned to Ukraine or China to complete their studies after the initial disruptions and have already completed their internships overseas.
According to the plea, FMGs can either practice abroad after completing their studies or return to India to practice, subject to clearing the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) conducted by the National Board of Examinations.
The petition highlighted that the students had largely completed their theoretical education online, complemented by practical and clinical training in offline mode. However, under current public notices and circulars, FMGs who returned to India during the final year of their course must undergo two years of internship in India, while those who returned earlier must complete three years.
“This blanket requirement imposes undue hardship,” the plea stated, requesting the National Medical Commission (NMC) to direct state medical councils to assess and address specific deficiencies in practical training on a case-by-case basis. The petition further suggested that FMGs be permitted to fulfil missed practical requirements either through certificates from their parent institutions or by attending compensatory practical classes in Indian institutions.
The plea also cited the Supreme Court’s April 29, 2022 decision, which had directed the NMC to frame a special scheme allowing foreign MBBS students affected by the pandemic and Ukraine war to complete their clinical training in Indian medical colleges.
The matter will be taken up further after responses from the Centre and concerned authorities are received.
