Department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has submitted One Hundred Fifty Seventh report on quality of medical education in India.In the report  presented to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha on 9th February, 2024 and forwarded to the Speaker, Lok Sabha on same day, the Committee has  taken note of the fact that with the expansion of the number of medical colleges in India, the reliance on Foreign Medical Graduates to maintain the doctor to population ratio may dwindle in the near future. Moreover, the Committee has also come across the fact that given the high standards of medical education in India, several FMGs are unable to clear the examination process despite several attempts.Given the future scenario, the Committee recommends that the Government take a serious view on this issue and come up with some advisories to dissuade students from pursing medical education abroad.

In the report, the Committee has also mentioned that the FMG Regulations 2021 are a pivotal framework to maintain and uphold the quality of medical professionals in India. However, these regulations must adopt a facilitative role rather than imposing unwarranted obstacles in the registration and internship process for foreign medical graduates. The NMC should address the inconsistencies in granting permanent registration to foreign medical graduates across various States. The Committee recommends the NMC strike a balance between quality assurance and inclusivity, ensuring that bureaucratic or procedural impediments do not unduly burden foreign medical graduates who meet thenecessary standards. By acting as facilitators, regulatory authorities can streamline the registration and internship procedures, enhancing the integration of foreign medical graduates into the Indian healthcare system.

In 2021, NMC brought the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations2021 (FMGL Regulations, 2021) that govern the licensing of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) to practice medicine in India. The regulations were introduced in November 2021 and came into effect on December 1, 2021. The FMGL Regulations 2021 ensure that FMGs have the same skills and knowledge as Indian medical graduates before they are allowed to practice medicine in India. The regulations are also designed to protect the public from unqualified medical practitioners. According to the rules, only a foreign medical graduate shall practice medicine in India if granted permanent registration from the respective State Medical Council(s).

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One Hundred Fifty Seventh report on quality of medical education in India