CBI lens on foreign medical graduates working without clearing test

CBI lens on foreign medical graduates working without clearing test

TNN | Dec 27, 2022, 02.23 AM IST

NEW DELHI: On a complaint filed by the health ministry, the CBI has initiated a probe to ascertain how dozens of foreign medical graduates allegedly got themselves registered with the state medical councils (SMCs) or Medical Council of India (MCI) without qualifying the foreign medical graduate examination (FMGE). At least 73 such candidates, who studied medicine in different countries, are under the scanner, sources said adding that many of these candidates studied in Russia, Ukraine and China between 2011 and 2022.

An FIR under sections of prevention of corruption act apart from IPC sections pertaining to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery has been registered.

As per existing regulations, any student who pursued medicine from an institution abroad must qualify a screening test called the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) to get a provisional or permanent registration with the National Medical Commission (NMC) or State Medical Councils (SMCs) and practice medicine in India.

In his complaint to CBI, an under secretary in the health ministry cited two letters dated September 12 and October 17 received from the National Board of Examinations (NBE) informing that it had identified 73 such candidates who had not qualified the screening test as per NBE records but were likely to have obtained registration with various SMCS in the country. The NBE also provided the list of these 73 candidates specifying the details of their registration with the SMCs.

“Their registration status has been verified with the official websites of the NMC and respective SMCs. Such fraudulent and fake registration by non-qualified persons will be detrimental to the health and well-being of citizens. It has inter-state ramifications in health sector. It also involves many states spread across the country. It is requested to investigate how these non-qualified persons managed to get registration in India,” reads the ministry’s letter to the CBI.

The National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBE-MS) has been entrusted with the responsibility to conduct the screening test for the foreign medical graduates possessing a primary medical qualification awarded by any medical institution outside India.

“It is suspected that an organised racket was at play through which the candidates managed to register themselves with the state medical councils by paying a bribe amount. The role of a few officials in these councils is being investigated,” a source said. The agency is in the process of recording the statements of these 73 candidates to ascertain how they managed to get their registration.

As of now it is unclear if any of the students airlifted from Ukraine were on the list.