Latest Update (April 28, 2022): Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has written two identical letters to the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the Chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Dr Suresh Sharma, urging to examine the problems faced by Indian students in the Philippines and provide them with appropriate relief.
This comes after a group of students met Gadkari and presented their problem of getting affected by the new rule on BS courses.
Gadkari wrote that the students who study medicine in the Philippines have a pattern of a BS course of one and a half years to two years and after completion of BS, there is an MD course of which duration is four years. Thus the total course duration is five and a half years to six years.
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The letter added that the NMC referred to its Gazette Notification dated November 18, 2021, where it had made some changes "that are said to be stringent for the Indian students studying medicine abroad." After this, on December 8, 2021, and November 18, 2021, the Indian Embassy in the Philippines, under the direction of NMC, declared that the BS course will not be considered part of medical studies.
Gadkari said that when students tried dialling NMC, the officials clarified that the students who took admission to the BS course before November 18, 2021, will not be affected by the new rule. The NMC thereafter issued a new notification stating that the BS course will not be considered as part of the study of medicine for students who have enroled after November 18, 2021.
These multiple notifications are not only affecting the students but the Union Transport Minister too. He feels that these complexities are affecting the students and their parents who have paid lakhs of rupees as fees.
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Gadkari concludes his letter requesting the officials of NMC to look into the matter thoroughly and urgently “so that students can be given appropriate relief as per rule, policy and guidelines.”
Source: Outlook
Need More Information on BS Course in Philippines?
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The National Medical Commission has ruled that Indian students who pursue a bachelor's degree in science in the Philippines as a pre-medical course may not be eligible for admission to MBBS at Indian medical schools.
NMC further noted that the Philippines' BS program is a pre-medical course that includes subjects such as biology and psychology, which are similar to subjects studied in classes 11th and 12th in India. However, some subjects are not taught in the Philippines, such as biochemistry and biophysics, anatomy, which are required to make students eligible to study MBBS in India.
The Philippines offers two types of medical courses: Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine (MD). Every year, thousands of aspiring medical students from India study in the country.
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Dr Mahesh Verma, a member of the NMC, said that this announcement is for those students who have applied for BS course in the Philippines before the implementation of the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021. Such students would not be allowed to practice medicine in India. However, those who have enrolled in an MD course in the Phillippines can still be considered if they fulfil some other criteria for registration.
The FMGL Regulations, which came into effect on November 18, 2021, prescribes the regulations for foreign medical graduates to practice medicine in India.
Aside from having the necessary documents, those who completed BS from the Phillippines also need to appear for the NMAT examination to be considered for admission to the country's MD programs.
In the Phillippines, the BS course is followed by the MD program. However, the students are not taught Biochemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology or Anatomy in the BS course. This makes it a pre-medical course to be taken before starting a graduate or primary medical course equivalent to an MBBS degree in India.
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The reason why this pattern is not applicable to the Philippines' medical schools is that the basic degree course does not qualify candidates for admission to medical schools in India. In India, for instance, the requirements for admission to medical schools require that the candidate must have studied anatomy, biochemistry, biophysics, and microbiology in class 11 or 12.
The regulations were not directed to any particular country. They were only made to ensure that foreign medical graduates have the necessary education to practice medicine in India. The objective of the regulations is to provide a level playing field for both local and foreign students in India's healthcare industry. Although practicing medicine can be very risky, the commission noted that it can only be done in a manner that adheres to the high standards of medical education in India.
Source: Live Mint
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