National Medical Commission (NMC) is an Indian regulatory body constituted by an act of Parliament known as National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
NMC keeping its pledge to improve the access to quality and affordable medical education has exercised its power to make a sound decision in the favor of Indian medical students. This news has created too much buzz around as it has the potential to impact the entire medicine industry and entirely change the higher education statistics of Indian medical students.
Earlier, NMC had a list of foreign medical institutes from where Indian medical students could pursue their higher studies and give the screening test to practice medicine in India. But now, it has withdrawn the list allowing students to pursue their medical education from any institute abroad without any barrier though they have to go through the same screening test to practice their profession in India.
“It is to be noted that the Medical Council of India had provided a list of foreign Medical Institutions/Universities for MBBS or equivalent courses based upon the information received from the Indian Embassy/High Commission of India concerned. However, it is to state that the 2018 notification to the Screening Test Regulations clearly states that all Indian Citizens/Overseas Citizen of India who have obtained a primary medical qualification from any Medical Institution outside India have to qualify the prescribed Screening test for purposes of obtaining registration in India in addition to fulfilling other eligibility criteria stated in the regulations.
It is to clarify that the National Medical Commission does not endorse any list of Foreign Medical Institutions/ Universities for MBBS or equivalent courses.
The public at large is advised that before taking admission in MBBS or its equivalent course in a university outside India, confirmation of the fee structure, details of the course, etc. should be directly obtained from the University/Institution concerned.”
It would expand market competition in higher medical education and force the Indian private medical Universities to bring down their exorbitant high prices to normalcy. Hopefully, we would see a fascinating rivalry between India’s top med-schools and the world’s top med schools. One thing can be stated for sure, there would be an array of opportunities for Indian medical students in the upcoming future.