Any citizen possessing a primary medical qualification awarded by any medical institution outside the country who wants provisional or permanent registration with MCI or any state medical council needs to qualify the screening test (known as Foreign Medical Graduates Examination) conducted by the MCI through the National Board of Examinations (NBE).
In a year-by-year break-up of the number of students who sat for the screening exam, data provided by NBE under RTI Act shows that since 2004, the number of instances of successful candidates crossing 50 per cent of the total who appeared was two, while in one particular instance, only 4 per cent students passed the test.
In March 2008, 58.7 per cent candidates were able to clear the screening with 1,087 out of 1,851 candidates clearing it.
The last two sessions of the screening exam in 2015, however, saw only 10.4 per cent and 11.4 per cent candidates clearing the test.
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In June last year, 5,967 candidates appeared for the exam of whom only 603 cleared it while in December, 6,407 candidates took the screening test and only 731 passed.
In most of the sessions over the past 12 years, the percentage of pass candidates hovered in the twenties with only 282 out of 5,724 (4 per cent) clearing the exam in June 2014, according to the data provided to PTI by the examination conducting body.
According to another data, between 2012 and 2015, MCI
said it issued 5,583 "eligibility certificates" to Indian citizens intending to acquire "Primary Medical Qualification" (MBBS or its equivalent) from any country outside India.
A Parliamentary Committee report earlier this month observed that "despite having the most number of medical colleges in the world, and currently having approximately 9.29 lakh doctors enrolled on the Indian Medical Register, India is way behind in achieving the targeted doctor-population ratio of 1:1000 as per WHO norms".
Notably, the NBE had in 2002 started conducting the screening examination of foreign medical graduates.
Prior to that, there was no such screening of FMGs.
The Committee also observed that many young students who aspire for medical education but do not get an opportunity in India, go for medical education in countries like Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and China and when they come back they are given due recognition by MCI only after they clear the screening test followed by a one year internship to qualify as "eligible doctor" in India.
"Taking all the above facts into account, the Committee is of the considered view that the existing MSRs as mandated by the MCI are irrational and artificially rigid standards which are proving to be a big impediment to the establishment and expansion of medical colleges," the report added.