New NMC regulations for the Indians who want to study medicine abroad!

New NMC regulations for the Indians who want to study medicine abroad!

• What is the best country to study MBBS abroad? & Is Philipines/China/Bangladesh a good place to do MBBS? are the 2 most common questions to educationalists, experts & student recruiting agencies asked by many parents & students who are searching for MBBS abroad.
• The best country to study medicine abroad is a very subjective question that can not be answered in one go within a second. The answer to these 2 questions should be addressed from 5 different angles:

1. 1. Your Budget for the MBBS/MD course
   2. Eligibility of the university & MBBS course you plan to join (World Directory of Medical Schools/MOH or MOE listing/new regulations for FMGs by NMC)
   3. Eligibility of the student (10th/+2/NEET-UG/Subject & language proficiency requirement per university)
   4. Quality of the Academics in the university  (Theory & clinical)
   5. Quality of life in the university & country (safety, food, healthcare, etc)

• There are 500+ universities from a number of countries providing medical education with various levels of quality therefore you can be easily tricked by some alluring word of recruiting companies or agents or brokers to choose the wrong option. Don’t fall for deception!
• Who is answering such questions in public domains (Quora/Youtube/FB etc)? Beware of the following category of people who will misguide you to choose a substandard university with false information for their personal gain.
  1. Consultants/agents
  2. IT wing of the consultants or universities
  3. Paid bloggers for the consultants or universities
  4. Student representative of consultants or universities
  5. Parent representative of consultants or universities

• • Eg of such a hoax in Quora: 

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• Genuine facts are given by only very few people, therefore:
  • Verify all the information pertinent to the MBBS abroad.
  • Seek suggestions & advice only from unbiased experts who don’t take any sides.
• Important notice:
  • This article is not designed for the marketing purpose of any universities or countries or students recruiting companies, therefore, it’s intended to be used only for the purpose of sharing the information & comparison of the countries to help the parents & students who are searching for MBBS/MD abroad.
  • All the information provided here is based on the facts & statistics only. Reference of the information is provided through the hyperlinks to be verified.

Regulations for FMGs from the Gazette of India 2021

• As per the guidelines specified in the Gazette of India published on 18th November 2021 (CG-DL-E-22112021-231275) No foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration unless he has the following:
  • Undergone an MBBS/MD course leading to a Foreign Medical Degree with:
  • 1. Duration of the course: foreign medical degree with a minimum duration of 54 months (>4.5 years).
       • NB: BS course from Philipines is not considered to be the part of MBBS/MD course.
    2. Syllabus: MBBS/MD course equivalent to MBBS program of India (CBME since 2019).
    3. Medium: English only
    4. Internship-1: minimum duration of 12 months in the same foreign medical institution.
    5. Location of the University: the entire course, training, and internship or clerkship in the same institution throughout the course of study and no part of medical training and internship shall be done in India or in
       any country other than the country from where the primary medical qualification is obtained.
       • NB: One university in one country &  only & No online courses will be approved.
    6. Registration: Registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practice medicine given to a citizen of that country.
  • Screening exam to be cleared:
    1. NEXT: cleared the National Exit Test or such other mandated tests or tests conducted by the Commission (step 1, 2 & 3 as per the draft regulations for FMGs 2021 by NMC).
    2. Supervised internship in India (internship-2): minimum term of twelve months in India after clearing the theory part of the NEXT.
• Link: UGMEB/NMC/Rules & Regulations 2021

Comparison of the favorite countries with affordable prices to study medicine abroad

• What countries are economic & suitable as per the NMC 2021 regulations?
  1. Bangladesh (confirm with the new NMC regulations before joining!)
  2. Nepal (expensive & confirm with the new NMC regulations before joining!)
  3. China (confirm with the medium of teaching, quality of education & the new NMC regulations before joining!)
• What about Philipines & Caribbean universities?
  • Until they increase the duration of the MD course to a minimum of 4.5 years (except for the BS course) & provide 12 months of internship, NMC will not approve the degrees from Philipines & Caribbean islands.
• What about CIS like Russia & Ukraine?
  • Most of the universities in CIS provide 6 years MD program therefore duration will not be the problem, however,
    • There is no Official inclusive internship within the 6 years MD program (except for very few) therefore until they provide 12 months of internship, NMC will not approve the degrees from CIS.
    • Universities that conduct bilingual courses (English for 3 years & Russian for 3 years) will not be approved by NMC.
• What about Malaysian or Mauritius or other universities providing 5 years MBBS program?
  • Until they provide official 12 months of internship over the 5 years MBBS course, NMC will not approve the degrees.
• Study MBBS in Bangladesh? (India vs Bangladesh)

• Study MBBS in Philippines? (India vs Philipines)

• Study MBBS in China? (India vs China)

• Study MBBS in Russia? (India vs CIS including Russia)

Myths busted!

• We are providing the answers to the myths about one country created by the consultancies/agents who are the competitors. As a rule, agents promoting one country usually ill talks about the others.

• Hoax-1: Ranking of the universities!

• • The rating provided by the specified organizations is determined by various factors & academics is not the single predominant factor.
  • The rating is almost exclusively concerned with the students from their countries.
  • Students recruitment consultants & agencies usually over-exaggerate the listing for the promotional purpose without comprehending the intricacies of the rating system by providing false information!
  • Parents also usually overestimate or blindly rely on the ratings without insight.
  • The list of ratings has no correlation with the academic/clinical performance of the foreign students in the international/screening exams around the world (Compare the University rankings & FMGE pass percentages in the table below).

• • Reference:
    1. Moscow Indian embassy
    2. European Standard ARES
    3. RA Experts
    4. Forbes Rating Vuzov
    5. National Board of Examinations report on Country/Institute Wise Performance in FMGE – 2019

• Hoax-2: Are Caribbean Universities, eastern European universities & universities from Nepal & the Philippines exempted from FMGE?
  • No. Indian citizens who pursued their UG/PG from the following countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and the USA) don’t require to appear for FMGE/MCI screening test & they can apply for the registration in the NMC without the FMGE.
• Hoax-3: Is the quality of medical education in China, Russia (CIS) & the Philipines are equivalent to the quality of the Indian government universities?
  • No. however medical education in very very few universities from  Russia (CIS) & the Philipines is equivalent to the quality of the Indian government universities!
• Hoax-4: Some agents emphasize that you should join only in the government universities!
  • They are probably promoting the universities where they are providing students!
    • Almost all the universities in Russia are government universities & graduate courses (MD) for foreign students are conducted & regulated by the government only (Ministry of education of health)
    •  Almost all the universities in China are government universities & graduate courses (MD) for foreign students are regulated by the government only however conducted by private bodies therefore subjected to be many irregularities!
    • Universities in Central Asia & the Philippines can be governmental or private. Most of the universities in Bangladesh where foreign students study are private but strictly regulated by a regional government university.
  • The quality of academics varies regardless the university is governmental or private!. Irregularities/ corruption/cheating shall be seen in any university regardless the university is governmental or private!. 
    • India today news: Indian medical students in Russia file case of fraud against consultancy operating in Tver state medical university (government university).

• Hoax-5: Is high-quality Indian food available in many universities in Russia & China?
  • No. Indian food is available in some universities or provided as a part of service by the consultancy agency within the university however quality is awful with overinflated prices.
  • For example, the college canteens in China serve hygienic and nutritious food varieties​ to all students that include both veg and nonveg fares, The standards & hygiene of these canteens & cooks are continuously inspected & monitored by the local government however food in most of the Indian canteens is uninspected, unhygienic & nonnutritious. This hot nutritious platter with Broccoli, green beans, Helda beans & chicken liver salad costs only 10-12 RMB (around 130 INR) however the Indian platter with white rice, potato curry & cabbage fry costs 15 RMB (170 INR) in the canteen at a university located not far from Beijing, China.
• Hoax-5: Russia & Central Asian countries are very dangerous to live in?
  • No. In fact, the Global peace index in CIS countries is higher than in India. We are providing the global peace index & healthcare index of most favorite destinations for Indian FMGs vs India:

• Hoax-6: Is Russia a complete communist country?
  • No. Russia is a federal republic & currently not a communist country.

• Hoax-7: Is Russia Very poor?
  • In fact, Russia struggled to cope up for decades after the collapse of the USSR but the condition has been already revered, it’s wise to emphasize that the eleventh-largest nominal GDP in the world is occupied by Russia.

• Hoax-8: Is Russia an Uncivilized nation with very rude people?
  • No, It’s probably a misconception from movies. Russia is very civilized & Russians are one of those who value their culture very much. Most of the Russians are very cultured & strictly follow rules of etiquette.

• Hoax-9: Does Russia have only a Harsh climate?
  • No. Russia has a very diverse climate, all the way from sub-tropic to sub-arctic, and from desert to coasts, therefore the climate depends on the city where you choose to study medicine in Russia.

• Hoax-10: Does no one speak English even in the cities in Russia?
  • Times have changed & many Russians speak English nowadays, compared to the 1990s.

• Hoax-11: Is Chinese impossible to learn?
  • No. It’s true that Chines is difficult to learn but it’s not an impossible task. Many foreign students take about 1 year to clear the “Chinese Level Test/HSK-level 3” which assesses students’ ability in the application of everyday Chinese.

• Hoax-12: Do all Chinese eat only weird foods?
  • No. Chinese eat regular food like us where rice is one of the staple foods, however, delicacies are available in special markets or restaurants only. It’s wise to emphasize that delicacies are very expensive compared to regular food.

• Hoax-13: Does no Chinese speak English?
  • Times have changed & many Chinese speak English nowadays compared to the 1990s, especially in the bigger cities. The new school curriculum brought an absolute necessity for the newer generation to learn English.

• Hoax-14: Do universities provide only traditional Chinese medicine courses (No MBBS courses)? 
  • No. China is renowned for the traditional Chinese medicine courses, however, there are currently more than 170 universities providing MBBS courses In Chinese & English languages.

• Hoax-15: Do all Chinese cheat?
  • No. This is probably another misconception from Social media. It’s true that you shall be cheated in any roadside/ wholesale markets around the world regardless of the location of the market.

• Hoax-16: Is the whole of china very advanced & developed?
  • No. Most of the cities are highly developed, however, there are underdeveloped regions yet.

Are you seeking unbiased counseling?

• Contact: Dr. P. Harinath MD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience,  Jinzhou Medical University (JZMU), Jinzhou, Liaoning, China.
  • Contact number: +91 90259 35978
  • Working hours: 11.30 to 21.30 (Monday to Friday)
  • Duration of counseling: 10 min per head only
  • Fee: free
  • What shall be expected? 
    1. All the doubts regarding MBBS abroad will be cleared.
    2. Suggestions to choose the best country or university to study abroad based on your budget, eligibility, quality of academics/life in the university or country only.
    3. References of all the information will be sent to cross-check the reliability.
    4. Hacks & Strategies to prepare for FMGE?NEXT/MLE/PLAB while studying abroad.
  • What shall be expected?
    1. No promotion to any country
    2. No promotion to any university

Further reading:

1. New Indian MBBS syllabus (CBME 2019)
2. Gazette of India published on 18th November 2021 (CG-DL-E-22112021-231275)
3. Draft regulation for Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) 2021