Doctors offered immediate help in fight against Coronavirus
According to sources a body of foreign-trained indian MBBS doctors on friday said it has urged the government to exempt them from a mandatory licensure exam so that they are immediately available for the country's services as it fights the COVID-19 pandemic. This one step will add around 20,000 MBBS doctors and 1,000 specialists in the medical workforce against the fight with COVID-19, the All india Foreign Medical Graduates Association (AIFMGA) claimed in its letter to the government.
The letter, dated march 26, has been addressed to prime minister narendra Modi. A copy has also been sent to Union health minister harsh vardhan, said AIFMGA President Dr A Najeerul Ameen. The association is yet to receive an official response or acknowledgement.
According to government rules, any indian citizen possessing a primary medical qualification awarded by a foreign institution, who wants provisional or permanent registration with Medical Council of india or any state's medical council, needs to qualify a screening test (Foreign Medical Graduates Examination or FMGE) conducted by the MCI through the National Board of Examinations (NBE).