Second-hand treatment to foreign medical graduates: More difficult exam than NEET PG, two years wait for house-surgency

THRISSUR: Even though there is a shortage of medical professionals for health services, the state government continues to mete out second-hand treatment to students who have completed their medical degrees from foreign countries. Students who have completed a six-year degree from a foreign country are allowed to practice only if they pass the Foreign Medical Graduate Test (FMG) conducted by the National Medical Council.

The exam is conducted twice a year. Even if a student passes, they often have to wait up to two years to enroll into house-surgency in Kerala. This has forced many students to migrate to other states in search of work. It is after following the strict instructions of the Medical Council that students are moving to foreign countries that have better facilities than many universities in the country.

The Foreign Medical Graduate Association, led by those studying medicine abroad and their parents, has been submitting a petition to the authorities, but to no avail.

The Medical Council is also not considering the demand to publish the answer key of the FMG exam. Students deem the question paper of this exam as more gruelling than the NEET PG entrance test. Only a maximum of 20 per cent of the candidates pass. Still, there remains an allegation that the authorities are not ready to publish the answer key.

1. No stipend is given to those who pass the FMG exam and become house surgeons in the state. There are stipends in more than 17 other states in the country

2. While responding to a petition filed by students, the Supreme Court had ordered that stipends be given to all students.