The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice in response to a plea challenging the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) mandate requiring foreign medical graduates (FMGs) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war to undergo extended internships of up to three years in India.

The petition, filed by the Association of Doctors and Medical Students (ADAMS), argues that FMGs who returned to India due to these crises and completed their courses through online classes supplemented with offline practical and clinical training should not be subjected to additional internships beyond the standard requirements.

Under existing regulations, FMGs must clear a screening test and, if their foreign medical course lacked an internship component, complete a one-year internship in India. However, the NMC’s notices stipulate that FMGs who returned during their final year and completed their studies online must undertake a two-year internship, while those who returned during their penultimate year are required to complete a three-year internship.

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih, has sought responses from the NMC and the Union government regarding this matter.

Sources