A group of medical students. Image used for representational purposes only
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The Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association’s Foreign Medical Graduates Wing has demanded that the National Medical Commission (NMC) withdraw its recent notification on mandatory physical onsite compensation classes for online studies taken up by foreign medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war.
In a statement, the association said that Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) across India have expressed concern regarding the new “retrograde injustice” order issued by the NMC on March 6, which was presented as a clarification regarding mandatory physical compensation classes.
The association requested the NMC and Union government to allow FMG students to complete their Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship (CRMI) amicably. While FMGs fully support the objective of maintaining high standards in medical education, the recent clarification has raised serious concerns among thousands of students who had already complied with earlier regulatory guidance and followed due official processes.
During the global pandemic between 2020 and 2022, universities worldwide, including institutions in India, were forced to adopt online or hybrid teaching models due to lockdowns, travel restrictions, and public health measures.
The NMC had previously issued public notices (December 7, 2023, and June 19, 2024) allowing mechanisms such as clinical clerkship in India to compensate for disruptions in clinical training, and another one clarifying that students who compensated their online education through physical onsite training and passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) would be eligible to undergo CRMI under the relevant regulations.
Following these guidelines, thousands of FMGs completed their medical education from recognised foreign universities, qualified in the FMGE screening examination, obtained provisional registration from State Medical Councils and have either commenced or completed their CRMI in hospitals across India. However, the recent clarification emphasising strict verification of online study compensation and extension of course duration has created uncertainty. It noted that revisiting compliance requirements several years later may create retrospective regulatory complications for students who had acted in accordance with the earlier NMC notices.
FMGs have appealed to the NMC to ensure that students who have already obtained provisional registration and commenced CRMI should be protected from retrospective regulatory complications. They also wanted uniform and transparent guidance issued to State Medical Councils to avoid inconsistent implementation across different States. The association demanded the NMC to withdraw this new notification immediately and follow the earlier guidelines on physical compensation classes.
Published – March 16, 2026 04:59 pm IST
