Kerala High Court allows registration of Foreign Medical Graduates, says Clerkship not Mandatory

The Kerala High Court directed the State Medical Councils and the Director of Medical Education to process registration applications of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) without insisting on a two-year Clinical Clerkship Program.

The petitioners, who studied in China during 2017–18 and cleared the FMGE, had completed compensatory physical classes offline as mandated by the National Medical Commission (NMC) due to earlier online classes during COVID-19.

The Court noted that no such clerkship is mandated under NMC FAQs or FMGI Regulations, 2021, for those who completed their course before 30.06.2022.

Authorities were instructed to act within six weeks and not delay registration. [Daleel Ahmmed and Ors. v. National Medical Commission]