KB Abdul Karim
Kochi: The new decision of the National Medical Council regarding the internship of MBBS students who have completed their studies abroad is weighing on the future of thousands of students in Kerala. With the decision coming into effect in the state as well, the future of students doing internship in district general hospitals has become dark. It has been decided to make the internship of those who have completed their MBBS studies abroad only in medical college hospitals. The order has come with retrospective effect from 2021. Last October, the National Medical Council directed the states to strictly implement the order.
In addition to finding opportunities for house surgery for those who have completed their undergraduate medical studies in medical colleges of the state, they also have to find vacancies for MBBS students from abroad. The National Medical Council has also stated that in addition to the number of students studying in medical college hospitals, a maximum of 15 foreign medical graduates should be included. With this, students who have completed their MBBS studies abroad will have to wait two or three years for house surgery. The new decision has come as a severe blow to Kerala, which has the largest number of students pursuing medical studies abroad. The new order will create a huge crisis in this sector in the future as well. While taking such crucial decisions, the government would also consider the future of those who stand in this regard.
Countries such as Ukraine, China, Georgia and Uzbekistan are widely preferred by students as they can complete their studies at half the cost of studying MBBS in state-run private medical colleges. After completing their MBBS and passing the National Medical Council’s FMG screening test, they come for internship in the district general hospitals.