'I Met All Rules as a Foreign Medical Graduate, But My Practice Still on Hold'

'In 2019, I enrolled at Shandong University’s Cheeloo College of Medicine in China. Then, the pandemic hit.'

In 2019, I chose a different path and enrolled at Shandong University’s Cheeloo College of Medicine in China, writes Dr Rachita Dinesh Kurmi.

(Illustration: Chetan Bhakuni/ The Quint)

It’s no secret how difficult it is to clear NEET-UG and secure an MBBS seat in India. Every year, nearly 20-25 lakh students compete for just around 1.3 lakh seats—and for lakhs of aspiring doctors, the dream slips away, unfinished. I refused to let my dream fade.

In 2019, I chose a different path and enrolled at Shandong University’s Cheeloo College of Medicine in China. The language barrier was daunting, often overwhelming—but the thought that, at the end of six years, I'd finally be able to call myself a doctor kept me going every step of the way.

These six years were far from easy.

In the middle of our course, the COVID-19 pandemic turned everything upside down. At the time, around 4,000 Indian students were studying in China.

What followed was a struggle none of us could have anticipated. But I was determined, like many others, to not give up.

'Six Years of Hard Work'

After months of uncertainty through the pandemic, as the restrictions were lifted, we went back to our universities to finish what we had started.

In July 2025, I completed my degree, as well as obtained a compensatory certificate confirming that the portion of my studies conducted online during the pandemic was adequately supplemented with offline clinical training and internship. I also completed my mandatory one-year internship in China.

As per a National Medical Council (NMC) notification dated 18 March 2026 , foreign medical students who took admission before 18 November 2021 are required to either furnish the said compensatory certificate—caused by disruptions such as COVID-19 or the Ukraine war—or undergo a clinical internship, depending on the extent of the disruption, to be eligible for permanent registration.

NMC's clarification over issuing registration numbers to the FMGs.

(Accessed by The Quint)

I, along with the 430 other foreign medical graduates in Maharashtra, have fulfilled all of the NMC's criteria to practice medicine in India. Yet, we are still waiting.

'Registration Delay by the Maharashtra Medical Body'

I have been through a lot in the last six years to become a doctor, and so the delay by my own state’s medical council is seeming all the more unfair.

In January 2026, I also passed the mandatory Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) for foreign medical graduates to be allowed to practice in India.

When the NMC issued a notification on 18 March 2026 to all state medical councils to issue permanent registration numbers to foreign medical graduates, I was relieved.

MergedPublicNotice_FMG_18_3_26.pdf

Preview

I applied for the permanent registration number from the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), but I am stuck in a limbo. For the past few weeks, I and the other students have been travelling to the MMC office in Mumbai's Chinckpokli from all different parts of Maharashtra, but we are either told that the registrar isn't available or that no updates can be given.

At this point, we are qualified, but not allowed to work.

What makes this situation even more frustrating is the inconsistency across India. States like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have been granting permanent registration to eligible students. Jammu and Kashmir responded positively following the NMC notice. Rajasthan has initiated dialogue.

But, in Maharashtra, students continue to face uncertainty and delays. Why should a doctor’s future depend on the state they belong to?

Many of us have already endured extraordinary challenges. Some studied through war-like conditions, others through a global pandemic. We adapted to online learning, returned to hospitals for hands-on training, and ensured we met every academic and clinical requirement.

And still, it is not enough.

We are not asking for favours. We are asking for fairness and transparency. We are asking for the implementation of rules already laid down by the NMC.

Every day of delay is not just a loss for us, but for the patients we could be treating. Our demand is simple: grant us permanent registration as per the NMC’s notification. Establish a fast-track mechanism to process our applications. And, most importantly, ensure that no future batch of students has to go through this uncertainty again.

(The Quint has reached out to the MMC. Their response is awaited. An administrator, however, told The Times of India that there are over 2,000 FMGs from Maharashtra seeking permanent registration in the past one year. "We will have to deal with this on a case-by-case basis. We will have to implement the NMC guidelines with care to ensure there is no deviation from their policy," he said. "The state council will take a student-friendly decision.")

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