Srinagar, Oct 12 (KNO): Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) from Jammu & Kashmir who passed their exams in June 2024 are facing a critical shortage of internship seats in Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) across the union territory.
Several FMGs expressed their frustrations to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), citing poor management by the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Council (JKMC) as a key factor in their predicament. Many are anxious about missing the opportunity to sit for the NEET PG exam in 2025.
The graduates said the Council's delayed responses and inadequate planning are jeopardising their careers and that they fear losing another year and a half. Despite the National Medical Commission (NMC) issuing clear guidelines earlier this year to accommodate students, the JKMC's slow and ineffective actions have compounded our challenges, they said.
The council recently advised students to register in other states, but many of these states had already closed their registration weeks earlier, leaving FMG graduates confused and distressed.
"We cannot afford to waste more time due to administrative incompetence," one student said.
The FMGs are urging the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Council to act swiftly to rectify the situation or risk further damage to the reputation of medical education in the state.
The All India Students Union has formally written to the Health and Medical Education Department of J&K, calling for the urgent need for more internship seats. "Despite clearing the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), approximately 120 doctors are currently unable to secure internship placements. With only 20 seats confirmed by JKMC, the FMGs have been directed to seek internships in other states (as per JKMC notice no. JKMC/S/NOTICE/2024/4312 dated 28-09-2024)," the letter states.
The letter further notes that many states have already closed their registration and counselling deadlines, while others refuse placement to non-domicile FMGs, leaving these graduates with no viable options to complete their internships and delaying their careers.
"We respectfully request your intervention to increase the number of internship seats in J&K, either through placements in non-teaching hospitals or by raising the FMG intern quota as a one-time measure. This will allow these graduates to fulfill their mandatory internships and contribute to healthcare in the region," it concludes.
FMGs are urging immediate intervention from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the Secretary of the Health and Medical Education Department in this matter—(KNO)