Lok Sabha Question No. 1466 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-28
Subject: Overseas Medical Education
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Omprakash Bhupalsinh alias Pawan Rajenimbalkar, Vinayak Bhaurao Raut, Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

ANSWERED ON- 28/07/2023

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1466

## OVERSEAS MEDICAL EDUCATION

## †1466. SHRI OMPRAKASH BHUPALSINH ALIAS PAWAN RAJENIMBALKAR SHRI VINAYAK RAUT SHRI SANJAY JADHAV

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-

- (a)   the   number   of   students   from   each   State   pursuing   undergraduate   and   postgraduate   medical education abroad during the last five years indicating the duration of their study, Country and Statewise;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to ensure the safety of students studying abroad;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to transfer those students or provide them lateral entry to Indian medical institutions who are pursuing education in war and conflict-torn countries;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details of the students affected during the COVID period and returned home and the various ways in which they were helped?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

(SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN)

- (a) The Bureau of Immigration maintains the data of Indian nationals who disclosed their purpose as study/ education while going abroad. As per the information received from Bureau of Immigration, the year-wise details of number of Indian nationals who proceeded abroad for studies during the last five years is appended below:

|   Year |   No. of Indians |
|--------|------------------|
|   2018 |           518015 |
|   2019 |           586337 |
|   2020 |           259655 |
|   2021 |           444553 |
|   2022 |           750365 |

However, data of Indian students enrolled in specific courses, including in Medical courses, is not available.

(b)   The   safety   and   well   being   of   Indians   abroad,   including   students,   is   top   priority   of   the Government of India. Our Missions and Posts remain vigilant and closely monitor the well being of Indians abroad. In case any such untoward incident happens then it is immediately taken up by our Missions/Posts with the concerned authorities of the host country to ensure proper investigation and imparting of justice in such cases. Indian Missions/Posts are in constant engagement with Indian community including students and interact with them about the measures for safety of the Indian community.

(c to e) As per inputs received from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has devised a scheme under which Indian students who were in the last year of their undergraduate medicine course had to leave their foreign medical institute (due to COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine conflict etc) and 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 (FMG). 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.

The Ministry had been making efforts after the pandemic period for easing of travel restrictions for Indian students enrolled in foreign universities to make their travel to respective countries possible. Our Missions abroad and the Ministry had actively taken up these issues with the respective Governments and was able to resolve the travel restrictions in various geographies.

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