Wait for Permanent Registration only getting longer for Foreign Medical Graduates in A.P.

The anxious wait of the Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in the State for their Permanent Registration (PR) is only becoming longer as there are no updates yet from Andhra Pradesh Medical Council even as there are indications that NEET PG counselling might start anytime now.

There are some 70 FMGs in Andhra Pradesh who have been waiting for the PRs for the past five months, after completing their internships in May. Permanent Registration is a must for everyone who complete their MBBS degree and wants to work or open a clinic.

However, the processes are different for Indian graduates and foreign medical graduates. Those who study outside have to write the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, and those who clear it will have to undergo internships at an allotted college. It is only after completion of the internship that one gets the PR.

“Our friends from the State, who completed their MBBS here, got the PRs within a month, on June 24. I do not know why the State government is discriminating against us,” said Deepak (name changed), a medical graduate, who pursued a six-year course at a recognised university in Kyrgyzstan from 2016 to 2022. He also completed his one-year internship in May, like his friends, and is yet to get the PR.

Financial and societal pressures are mounting, he said, adding that it is becoming difficult to answer the queries of his parents about what is causing the delay. “We choose to study abroad because we cannot afford the medical education in the country. Coming from a middle class family, we had to take loan of ₹40 lakh for my education. Had I received my PR, I would have begun working at a clinic by now, alongside preparing for the NEET PG. Further, we are not eligible for the posts of medical officers, the notification for which was released recently,” he said.

The medical graduates have approached ministers Y. Satya Kumar Yadav, N. Lokesh and also Union Minister K. Rammohan Naidu for help. They said the Union Minister even put in a word with the National Medical Commission (NMC) to look into the issue. They also met the NMC secretary in New Delhi to discuss the issue.

Every Minister has promised to look into the issue, but they have not received any updates on the PR so far, he said.

The whole issue arose because of two notifications, regarding the duration of internships, released by the NMC on June 7 and June 17. Foreign graduates, who completed their classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic, were supposed to get compensation certificates from their universities, stating that they successfully compensated for the physical classes later, after the coronavirus cases came down. The notification said those who have got their certificates can undergo only one year of internship, while the others will have to undergo a two-year internship.

“All of us, around 70, have the certificates. There are clear NMC guidelines that say that the PR should be given to every graduate with the certificate. The A.P. Medical Council Registrar insists on further clarifications from the NMC on this. We do not know what the confusion is about,” another graduate from Vizianagaram, who also did not want to be named, said.

Two months ago, in a conversation with The Hindu, Registrar I. Ramesh said his powers are limited and that the decision to give PR lies with the council members. But, after the new government came into power, the members are yet to be elected, he had said. He could not be contacted for clarification on the updated status.

The graduates, however, said the NMC informed them during their meeting that getting a PR is not contingent on the presence of all council members. “We hope the issue is resolved within a week, since NEET PG counselling is expected to begin anytime now,” Deepak said, urging the government to speed up the process.