Lok Sabha Question No. 2921 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-17
Subject: Internship of Medical Students
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Francisco Cosme Sardinha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2921 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 17 TH  MARCH, 2023

## INTERNSHIP OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

## 2921.  SHRI COSME FRANCISCO CAITANO SARDINHA:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  steps  taken  for  facilitating  completion  of  internships  of  the  students  who wereenrolled  for  medical  degrees  in  China  and  had  to  complete  remaining  courses  in  onlinemode;
- (b)  the  numbers of  Indian students who went abroad for medical studies in the last five  years along with the number of those who have returned to the country; and
- (c) the details of schemes and policies of the Government to enhance the quality and the number of seats for medical education in India?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (c): The National Medical Commission (NMC) has devised a scheme under which Indian students who were in the last year of their undergraduate medicine course (due to COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine conflict etc had to leave their foreign medical institute) and have subsequently completed their studies as also have been granted certificate of completion of course/degree by the respective institute, on or before 30th June, 2022, are permitted to appear in Foreign Medical Graduate Examination. Thereafter, upon qualifying the FMG examination, such foreign medical graduates are required to undergo Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) for a period of two years to make up for the clinical training which could not be physically attended by them during the undergraduate medicine course in the foreign institute as also to familiarize them with practice  of  medicine  under  Indian  conditions.  Foreign  medical  graduates  get  registration  only after completing the CRMI of two years.

As informed by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), there are approximately 1.2 million Indian  students  studying  abroad  including  all  streams  of  education.  However,  specific  data  of Indian students pursuing medical courses abroad is not available. Further, as informed by Bureau of Immigration, the number of Indian students who went abroad for study/ education in various streams from 2018 to 2022 is as under:-

| Year   | 2018     | 2019     | 2020     | 2021     | 2022     |
|--------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
| Number | 5,18,015 | 5,86,337 | 2,59,655 | 4,44,553 | 7,50,365 |

The Government has increased number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats. There is an increase of 71% in Medical Colleges from 387 before 2014 to 660 as of now. Further, there is an increase of 97% in MBBS seats from 51,348 before 2014 to 101,043 as of now and increase of 110% in PG seats from 31,185 before 2014 to 65,335 as of now.

The measures/steps taken by the Government to enhance the quality and the number of medical seats in the Country include:-

- i. Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  (CSS)  for  establishment  of  new  medical  college  by upgrading  district/  referral  hospital  under  which  157  new  medical  colleges  have  been approved, out of which 97 are already functional.
- ii. CSS for strengthening/ upgradation of existing State Government/ Central Government Medical  Colleges  to  increase  the  number  of  MBBS  (UG)  and  PG  seats.  Under  these Schemes  support  has  been  provided  for  increase  of  4677  MBBS  seats  in  77  colleges, 4058 PG seats in Phase-I in 72 colleges and 3858 PG seats in Phase-II in 60 colleges in the country.
- iii. Under 'Upgradation of Government Medical Colleges by construction of Super Specialty Blocks' of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme, a total of 75 projects have been approved, of which 60 projects are complete.
- iv. Under the  Central  Sector  Scheme  for  setting  up  of  new  AIIMS,  22  AIIMS  have  been approved. Undergraduate courses have started in 19 of these.
- v. Relaxation in the norms for setting up of Medical College in terms of requirement for faculty, staff, bed strength and other infrastructure.
- vi. DNB qualification has been recognized for appointment as teaching faculty to take care of shortage of faculty.
- vii. Enhancement  of  age  limit  for  appointment/  extension/  re-employment  against  posts  of teachers/dean/principal/ director in medical colleges upto 70 years.

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