Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC) on Friday addressed concerns regarding the delay in providing permanent registration certificates to Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs).

Addressing a press conference, APMC chairman Dr Srihari Rao and Registrar Dr Ramesh clarified the reasons behind the holdup, urging protesting FMGs to cease their agitations and await official resolutions.

They recalled that FMGs who passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) conducted by the National Board of Examinations in January 2023 were, for the first time, allotted internships in medical colleges across Andhra Pradesh following instructions from the National Medical Commission (NMC).

The FMGs who completed their medical courses entirely offline in their respective countries, but returned to India due to COVID19 or the Ukraine war and later went back to finish their studies, were allotted one year of internship. However, FMGs who returned to India and completed their studies online without returning to their universities were allotted two years of internship.

The situation evolved when the NMC issued fresh guidelines in November and December 2023. These guidelines mandated that FMGs who returned to India and studied their penultimate and final years online, experiencing a loss of clinical training, must undergo two years of clerkship followed by one year of internship to compensate for the lack of offline training. If online study was limited to only the final year, FMGs were required to complete one year of clerkship followed by one year of internship. The APMC stated that these guidelines were communicated to all medical college principals for implementation.

While many FMGs continued to pursue the extended two-year internship/clerkship as per the revised norms, some chose to challenge the requirement. These FMGs approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which, after hearing their plea, ruled that all rules issued by the Government of India and the National Medical Commission regarding online and offline study must be followed. The court dismissed the case, deeming the “compensation certificates” submitted by FMGs as having no merit. An appeal against this judgment has been filed, and the verdict is reserved and expected shortly. APMC noted that some FMGs have since rejoined to complete their two years of internship and clerkship.

The APMC emphasised that it has sincerely followed all rules, public notices, and instructions issued by the NMC throughout this process.

Addressing the recent protests, the APMC stated that the FMGs began their dharnas without waiting for the final judgment, and the Council was not initially aware of these protests. On July 1, 2025, Health Minister Sri Satyakumar Yadav, who was attending Doctors’ Day celebrations at Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, met with the agitating FMGs. He listened to their grievances and assured them he would discuss the matter with APMC authorities to find a solution.

Following this, Minister Yadav convened a meeting on July 2 to specifically address the FMGs’ issue. After detailed discussions, he instructed the APMC chairman and the Registrar to visit Delhi, after securing an appointment with the NMC, to represent the FMGs’ grievances and seek a resolution. Both officials have agreed to travel to New Delhi for this purpose. The APMC noted that despite the Minister’s assurances, some FMGs were not convinced and have insisted on continuing their agitation.

The APMC further clarified that the “compensation certificates” submitted by most FMGs do not adequately justify their period of online study compared to offline study. The NMC, when approached by these FMGs with their certificates, also instructed them to undergo two years of internship, indicating that the allotment letter issued by APMC for a two-year internship is justified. The APMC reiterated that all NMC rules have been followed in this regard.

The Council appealed to all FMGs, urging them to “Please do not stage dharnas and agitations. Attend to your duties as per the guidelines of NMC.”

“Minister for Health Satyakumar Yadav is already deeply concerned about your career and also your professional career,” they added. “Cooperate, clarification will be obtained shortly either from High Court judgment or from the NMC, as the committee will be going personally to Delhi exclusively for this issue only.”