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Centre to issue new rules for students pursuing medicine abroad

Acquiring a double internship will now be mandatory for all Indian students who flew abroad to get their MBBS degree

Published:
17 Nov 2021 08:30am IST
Fit-NE<br>Staff Bureau BY: Fit-NE
Staff Bureau
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Indian students pursuing medical degrees abroad are likely to face challenges while practicing in their home land as they will now be required to do double internships, once in the country where they got the MBBS and again in India.
As per reports, the Central government will soon release new norms in this regard.
As per data, about 10,000 to 20,000 students move out of India to pursue their MBBS degrees. As of now, these medical graduates, except for those who get their degree in US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are required to clear the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination and do a mandatory one-year internship in a recognized Indian Medical College before they can get their registration.
It is seen that many of the students return to India after completing their 4.5-year-long MBBS degree rather than opting for an internship outside.
After a mentor-certified internship, they will need to appear for the NEXT step 2 exam and can get a license only after clearing it.
Aruna V Vanikar, president of the undergraduate medical education board at the National Medical Commission, said that the process of issuing licenses to such graduates is being made more "stringent" as part of a reform push in medical education.
Representative image.
Image: Representative image.
He said that the graduates will have to spend at least 15-18 months following their degree before they can get a license to practice.
The guidelines are expected this week for public feedback before the final notification.
Starting 2023, when the National Exit Test gets implemented, he said that all final-year medical students will need to take it in two steps. All local MBBS students will start internships in the colleges where they graduated. Foreign students successful in the NEXT step 1 exam will have internships in designated sites.
After a mentor-certified internship, they will need to appear for the NEXT step 2 exam and can get a license only after clearing it. Medical education activist Vivek Pandey said that the new proposal may make it more difficult for foreign medical graduates to pursue a career in India
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