Lok Sabha Question No. 5005 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-31
Subject: Medical Students returned from War-zone Countries
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Deepak Baij

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 5005 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31 ST  MARCH, 2023

## MEDICAL STUDENTS RETURNED FROM WAR-ZONE COUNTRIES

## 5005. SHRI DEEPAK BAIJ:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  accommodate  Indian  medical  students  who  have returned from Ukraine war for their further studies and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether such students are running from pillar to post to seek admissions and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  some  medical  students  have  made  efforts  to  go  in  the  war-torn  Ukraine  for completing further studies and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government for enabling such students to complete their studies in the country?

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

(a)  to  (d):  Foreign  Medical  Students/Graduates  are  either  covered  under  'Screening  Test Regulations, 2002' or 'Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021'. There are no such provisions in the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 & the National Medical Commission Act,  2019  as  well  as  the  Regulations  to  accommodate  or  transfer  medical  students  from  any foreign medical institutes to Indian medical colleges. No permission has been given by the NMC to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students in any Indian medical institute/university.

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, RussiaUkraine  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 per information received from MEA, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv has communicated with all the concerned Universities in Ukraine for providing transcript and other documents in a smooth manner to the students. The details are available on the website of Embassy to assist students to address any related issues.

The  NMC  has  issued  Public  Notices  conveying  its  No-objection  to  the  Academic  Mobility Program  offered  by  Ukraine  i.e.  temporary  relocation  (for  the  period  of  conflict)  to  other universities applicable in either of 29 countries as mentioned in the Public Notice. As informed by MEA, a total of 3,964 Indian medical students have got admissions under Academic Transfer Programme i.e. permanent shifting to a new medical college in the same country or a different country  altogether.  Further,  around  170  students  have  enrolled  themselves  under  Academic Mobility Program.

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