Mauritius seeks India's help for screening medical students

Concerned over rising number of medical negligence cases in their hospitals, Mauritius has sought India's help to conduct screening test for its students who acquire their medical degrees abroad.
The Mauritius health minister recently held a meeting with his Indian counterpart Ghulam Nabi Azad to know the procedure adopted by the ministry in respect of medical students who have foreign degrees and want to work in Indian hospitals.
During the meeting the two sides also discussed the ways to standardise the foreign medical degrees with that available domestically, sources said.
A number of students from Mauritius have been acquiring their medical degrees from medical colleges in Ukraine, Poland, Russia, China, Nepal, Philippines, and Caribbean countries.

However, in recent past, there have been a rise in number of medical negligence cases in Mauritius hospitals and the government there is concerned about handling these issues, sources said, adding, therefore they have sought India's help in this regard.
Following this, a team of Health ministry officials visited Mauritius to explore the possibility of doing a screening test for medical students there based on Indian format.

A similar test is already there for Indian students who acquire there degrees abroad.
Since 2002, Indian students who have studied medicine abroad have had to appear for a screening test conducted by Medical Council of India, the regulatory authority for medical education in the country.

Only those who clear the test, administered by the National Board of Examinations, get certificates from the state medical council permitting them to do a year-long internship in a university or hospital in the state.
So far, the highest pass percentage has been 50 per cent in 2005. Pass percentages have varied from a dismal 9 per cent in 2003 to 27 per cent in 2011.