02-07-2025
FMGs Foreign Medical Graduates continue protest seeking permanent registration
Even as the protest by Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) seeking to expedite the issuance of Permanent Registrations (PRs) entered the third day here Wednesday (July 2), Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Satya Kumar Yadav discussed the issue with A.P. Medical Council (APMC) members and called for a quick resolution.
In a meeting with Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences(Dr. NTRUHS) vice-chancellor P. Chandrasekhar, APMC chairman D. Sreehari Rao, registrar I. Ramesh, Director of Medical Education (DME) D.S.V.L. Narasimham at the university in Vijayawada on Wednesday, the Minister asked the APMC chairman and registrar to inform the National Medical Commission (NMC-New Delhi) about the issue and find a way to resolve it.
According to a press release from the department, the Minister also directed the duo to get clarity on the duration of the internship to be allotted for graduates who studied a part of their course online during the pandemic. The APMC informed the Minister that graduates who sent an application before 2021 have been granted PRs.
Meanwhile, the graduates, who have been staging protests for the past two days, were denied permission to continue the protest at the university on Wednesday.
Following this, many went to Dharna Chowk in the city. Madhavi (name changed), one of the protesters, said: 'We did not do sloganeering. We did not create any law and order issue, but we were whisked away by the police on Tuesday night. On the one hand, people celebrated National Doctors' Day, and on the other, we were humiliated in every possible way.'
Madhavi, who passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam and appeared for counselling in May 2023, was allotted a two-year internship. 'While some other people from my batch were allotted a one-year internship, I was asked to undergo a two-year internship. No explanation was given by the APMC back then,' said Madhavi, who was in India for a duration of 10 months during the pandemic. She has a compensation certificate from her university.
The graduates, who have been staging protests now and then since July 2024, are wondering how many more days they would have to wait.
'Our batchmates in other States are laughing at our situation. It has been three-four years since we completed our medical courses, equivalent to MBBS, in other countries. Many of us are waiting to pursue postgraduation, which is another 3-year course. When will we get PRs and when will we write NEET-PG? We are in our late 20s now,' said another graduate.
