Only 21 Pct Students with Foreign Medical Degree Qualified To Practice in India

Bangalore: The situation for Indian students studying abroad for a foreign medical degree has become grim. For the past four years thousands of newly honored Indian doctors, who completed their medical degrees overseas, are failing generally in clearing the mandatory screening test that allows them to practice in India. Merely 21 percent (around one in five) students who received foreign medical degrees and appeared in the screening test qualified this year.

Just 26 percent medical students qualified in 2010 and 2011, while 16.2 percent qualified in 2009, as reported by Kounteya Sinha for TNN.

Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was quoted saying that the test has been prescribed to ensure that "citizens of India who obtain medical qualifications from universities or medical institutions outside India have acquired adequacy of knowledge and skills as per MCI (Medical Council of India) norms and to ensure that such students have secured proper standard of medical education in foreign countries," as reported by TNN.

As per data 14,476 students appeared for the test this year, with only 3,150 clearing it. It was noted that 13,270 students appeared in 2011 and 3,576 passed it. While 10,115 students appeared for the test — conducted by the NBE (National Board of Examinations) in 2010, and only 2,680 cleared it.
 

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