Baishali Mukherjee

As counselling begins for admission to MBBS courses in Nepal’s government and private medical colleges, there is a high degree of uncertainty among Indian aspirants. The Nepal Medical Council‘s (NMC) new regulation fails to meet the requirements needed to appear for the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021 to practice in India. Moreover, Indian students who have studied medicine in Nepal after 2021 for MBBS or BDS degrees are also facing uncertainty. According to the recently announced notification of the NMC there is no provision for treating international students as natives while giving licenses to practice in Nepal.

There is a general ignorance about the licensing regulations of Nepal among Indian students taking admission to private medical colleges in the country. Many students are also unaware of the FMGL Regulations 2021 requirements of the National Medical Commission in India. The unavailability of any publicly available list of countries that meet the eligibility criteria for getting registered in India as a doctor, makes the situation worse for the Indian medical aspirants. 

Nepal Medical Council has declared that while international students can take the licensing exam, there is no provision for these graduates to receive a permanent practicing license equivalent to that of the natives.  This circular read, “Foreign medical practitioners are registered according to NMC Regulation 21(f), which stipulates that applicants must produce a good standing certificate issued by regulatory bodies in their country of origin. However, the NMC would also like to inform students graduating from colleges in Nepal that they can appear for the licensing exam as per NMC regulation 20(e)3a. Thus, while citizens other than Nepalis may obtain registration under the foreign doctor registration category, it is further clarified that they will not be treated on par with Nepali graduates.” It is pertinent to note here that, India only issues a good standing certificate, a document similar to a usual character certificate, to students who have been enrolled in Indian colleges and institutes for graduation or post-graduation. The medical education regulatory body in India cannot issue this certificate to students who graduated from colleges in other countries. 

Study abroad counsellors are apprehensive that the 2-3 current batches of Indian medical students in Nepal will be in serious trouble once they complete their education, unless the NMC makes some amendments in the policies soon.

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