Shimla: In a major relief for foreign MBBS graduates affected by disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to allow a one-year internship for eligible students who completed their medical education from foreign medical colleges and attended online classes during the pandemic.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in a meeting with affected students and senior officers of the Health Department in Shimla on Saturday, directed the department to complete all formalities and issue the necessary orders at the earliest so that eligible graduates can begin or complete their internships without further delay.
The Chief Minister said the state government would adopt a fair, pragmatic and student-friendly approach in resolving the concerns of foreign medical graduates. He emphasised that deserving students should not suffer because of circumstances beyond their control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sukhu noted that uncertainty had emerged over internship requirements for foreign medical graduates, with students from the same academic batches being subjected to different internship durations. While some graduates were allowed to complete a one-year internship, others were asked to undergo a two-year internship despite having pursued their studies under similar pandemic-related conditions.
He pointed out that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has delegated powers to state governments to assess the adequacy of the “compensatory training period” for foreign medical graduates whose academic programmes were conducted online during the pandemic. Taking into account the NMC provisions and the genuine hardships faced by students, the Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to fix the internship period at one year for eligible candidates.
The Chief Minister instructed the Health Department to expedite the issuance of the required orders, ensuring that affected students do not face any further delays in completing their mandatory training.
He said the decision would provide significant relief to foreign medical graduates and enable them to pursue their medical careers without unnecessary obstacles, while also ensuring that the quality of medical education and healthcare services in the state is maintained.
