Future of over 1,300 Indian medical students in Nepal takes an unexpected turn

Future of over 1,300 Indian medical students in Nepal takes an unexpected turn

Finding themselves in a glitch caused due to ambiguous policies, Indian MBBS students plan to stage a protest demanding amendments to the Nepal Medical Council Regulations 2024 

Ayushi.Gupta1@timesofindia.com 11.11.2024

In October 2024, over 480 Indian students participated in counselling sessions conducted by the Medical Education Commission (MEC) under the government of Nepal. However, now, most of them are in a fix due to the changing policies by the Nepal Medical Council in April 2023. This implies that Indian students who have enrolled in Nepal after 2021 or are planning to move there for an MBBS or BDS degree will not be granted a licence to practice in Nepal. Due to the change in policies, foreign students from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 MBBS batches are considering abandoning their courses and planning to protest against private colleges and the Nepal Medical Council (NMC) over the uncertainty created by licensing regulations. 

Licensing exam The Global Medical Society (GMS), an association representing Indian MBBS students in Nepal, has informed Education Times that they will soon hold a protest, demanding amendments to NMC Regulations, 2024. A student from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, studying at Kathmandu University, on the condition of anonymity says, “After the NMC’s ambiguous notifications released in April 2023 and October 2024, foreign students are struggling to ensure if their medical education will remain valid in India. Since Nepal does not grant licences to foreign students, it is unclear why we are still expected to take the licensing exam. Without the licence to practice in Nepal, our careers are at risk, as we will not be able to qualify for the FMGE or NExT exams in India.” 

Another student from Gorakhpur, studying at Tribhuvan University, Nepal, says, “Nepal’s medical education is also not yet recognised by the United States Medical Licen sing Examination (USMLE), which limits our opportunities worldwide. We have reached out to the Indian Embassy in Nepal for clarifications as well and are awaiting their response. If the NMC does not provide us with a practising licence for at least 10 years, we will be forced to return to India.”Around 1,338 Indian students could face career setbacks if amendments or special provisions are not made for the currently enrolled students in Nepal. 

“We also do not want more Indian students to get into this entrapment, thus we have asked the authorities to delay the last date of the ongoing admission process so that these students can make an informed decision,” adds the student. Indian students have faced the potential loss of at least Rs 5 lakh each, which was illegally collected by consulting agencies as a pre-booking fee. Dr Kumar, from a private medical college in Nepal, says, “This year, around 845 students registered for counselling, and 480 students were selected based on the MEC merit list. Following awareness regarding the licensing issue, nearly 50% have withdrawn their applications. Most registrants this year were from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Guja rat. Many students paid prebooking fees to agents, ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 15 lakh, despite the NMC’s advisory that such fees are illegal.”