Students who have pursued medical education in China feel and allege that they are being snubbed by the Medical Council of India after many of them held a silent protest on September 3 against the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), — a mandatory exam to apply for clinical internship in the Indian Medical institutes — claiming it was extremely tough and more advanced than a postgraduate level.
One of the abroad educated doctors said that the exam was way more tough adding that the entire style of the questions were changed. Students further said that the paper was extremely unfair as only 1,697 out of the total 17,789 who attempted the exam were able to crack it.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Md Asad, one of the student who was attempting the exam for the fourth time said, “Many students wonder if this is revenge by the government since we appealed to the Medical Council asking it to lower the pass percentage from 50 per cent to 30 per cent so more of us could qualify and help out with Covid-19 duties."
However, the exam is not mandatory for those pursuing medical education from countries including United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. They do not need to take it.
Students further said that they also feel the heat of deteriotating India and China relations as students who pursued education in China being reffered to as 'Product of China'.
What is Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE)?
The exam is conducted to maintain a standard among medical students who have pursued medical education abroad. The objective of this exam is to enable Overseas Indian Students or an Indian Citizen to pursue a medical career in India.
When is FMGE conducted in India?
The exam is conducted twice annually. The first attempt takes place in June and the second one in December. However, in 2020, due to coronavirus pandemic, the exam was held on August 31.
Why FMGE is important?
For medical students to apply for internships in India medical institutes, it is important for them to clear exam to be able to get recruited for clinical internship. Failing in the exam will make them ineligible to take up the internship. And till the time a candidate fails to clear one-year internship, they cannot get a license to practice.
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