Data of students abroad to pursue MBBS not maintained centrally: Govt

The data of students going abroad to pursue MBBS is not maintained centrally, the government informed Parliament on Friday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said a student who has acquired foreign medical qualification from a medical institute abroad is required to qualify in the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) before applying for registration to practise medicine in India.

She said that clause 8(iv) of the Medical Institution Regulation Act, 2002 says that any Indian citizen or overseas citizen of India intending to obtain a primary medical qualification from a medical institution outside India on or after May 2018 shall have to mandatorily qualify in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to the MBBS course.

Also Read: Kerala NEET ‘innerwear’ row: 5 women arrested; NTA forms fact-finding team

“The result of the NEET shall deem to be treated as the eligibility certificate for such persons and no separate permission is required from the NMC (National Medical Commission). Therefore, data of students going abroad to pursue MBBS is not maintained centrally,” the minister said.

The minister was responding to a question on whether the Centre has the data of the medical students studying abroad and whether there is an eligibility test for the medical students who have studied abroad to practise in India.

(With Agency Inputs)