Doctors Demand Withdrawal of NMC Rule on FMG Online Classes

The National Medical Commission (NMC) is facing massive backlash from the medical fraternity, student unions, and doctor associations over a controversial new mandate regarding Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs).

The NMC’s New Rule

Earlier this month, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) issued a strict clarification stating that any FMG who attended online MBBS classes (due to COVID-19 or war disruptions) must physically compensate for that missed time with onsite clinical and theory training at their parent university.

Crucially, the NMC declared that this compensation must physically extend the total duration of their degree. Universities cannot “compress” two academic years into a single year of offline study. The Commission warned that State Medical Councils will permanently deny registration to any FMG who fails to prove they underwent this extended physical training.

“We Are Being Punished for a Global Pandemic”

The directive has sparked outrage. The Democratic Medical Association (DMA India) and the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) are heavily protesting the rule, calling it highly unjust and detached from reality.

AIMSA has officially written to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, desperately seeking government intervention to withdraw the notice. Their core arguments include:

• The Pandemic Was Not Their Fault: The shift to online learning was a forced, global necessity during COVID-19, not a choice made by the students.

• Unfair Retroactive Punishment: Implementing these harsh rules years later places an extreme financial and mental burden on students who have already graduated and returned to India.

• Competency is Already Tested: Protesters argue that FMGs are already required to clear one of the toughest licensing exams in the country (FMGE) and complete a grueling Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) in India, which more than proves their clinical competence.

With thousands of FMGs now trapped in regulatory limbo – unsure if their hard-earned degrees will be recognized – the medical fraternity is demanding that the NMC show leniency for pandemic-affected batches.