Why do Foreign Medical Graduates Have Trouble Clearing FMGE? Economic Survey Explains

Foreign Medical Graduates: The very low pass rate of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) in the qualifying examination for medical practice in India indicates the poor quality of medical education provided overseas, particularly the lack in clinical training, as reported in the Economic Survey 2024-25 presented in Parliament on Friday.

The survey also recommends that even as policy interventions are formulated to discourage medical education abroad, it is necessary to keep costs within reasonable limits in India.

Medical education fees are subject to strict regulations, which differentiate them from other professional education sectors. However, despite various initiatives aimed at controlling costs, fees in the private sector remain exorbitant, ranging from Rs 60 lakh to over Rs 1 crore, which holds for 48 per cent of MBBS seats.

Foreign Medical Graduates: Top Countries

This results in thousands of students moving to nearly 20 countries every year, especially those where fees are lower such as China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh,” the survey said.

It said that medical education abroad cost productive years of the youth in the hardships of studying in foreign countries and in repeatedly attempting exams – NEET-UG before taking admission, FMG exam on completion of the course and then completing a mandatory 12-month internship in India. FMGs living in China (during the Covid lockdown) and Ukraine (due to escalation of conflict with Russia) had to abandon their education and return to India and were faced with uncertain prospects, the survey said.

The subsequent regulatory issues in overcoming the difficulties faced by FMGs and the need to maintain standards in allowing them to practice in India have been a challenge and have required the intervention of the courts on more than one occasion.

The survey indicated that the very low pass rate of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in the qualifying examination highlights the inferior quality of medical education provided overseas, particularly due to insufficient clinical training.

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