NMC issues guidelines for NOC grant to foreign nationals for observership in Indian medical colleges

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued guidelines for grant of No Objection Certificate (NOC) for observership by foreign nationals in Indian medical institutes and colleges.

“In order to review the existing practice available in the erstwhile Medical Council of India regarding grant of No Objection Certificate to medical students/doctors from foreign countries, a committee was constituted under the chairpersonship of president, UGMEB to define the norms/ guidelines in respect of electives/observership by foreign nationals in Indian medical institutes/ colleges under National Medical Commission,” said NMC in an official notice.

The guidelines issued by NMC are as follows:

• No foreign national will be allowed electives or observership in any Indian medical college in any capacity without the consent of NMC.
• Number of foreign nationals for electives or observership in UG category in a given academic year will not exceed 5 percent of sanctioned annual intake of that medical college.
• The maximum number of foreign medical doctors for electives or observership in PG category shall not exceed 2 doctors in each speciality per year in a college.
• No foreign student coming for electives or observership in UG or PG category shall be allowed to examine or treat the patients.
• The maximum period of electives or observership shall be 90 days only.
• The processing fee to grant permission to foreign nationals for elective observership will be 100 US dollars or equivalent for UG students and 200 US dollars or equivalent for PG students.
• A foreign national who has once availed of elective observership in India will not be allowed to do the same second time till the duration of a minimum of one year of time is completed from the day of completion of the previous electives or observership.

NMC informed that these guidelines will be applicable with effect from March 1.