By Barsha Misra

Copyright medicaldialogues

New Delhi: Alleging that the medical education programme in the Philippines does not comply with the three major Foreign Medical Graduates Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations 2021, a group of students has sought intervention from the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission (NMC).The appeal has been addressed to the Union Health Minister, External Affairs Minister, Home Minister, officials of the National Medical Commission (NMC), state medical councils, and the Embassy of India in Manila. It has also been sent to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) officials in the Philippines, including its Legal and International Affairs Directors.The students have alleged that according to the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) order and the Philippines medical curriculum, MD programme in the Philippines (degree considered equivalent to MBBS in India) is 48 months (4 years), instead of the minimum 54 months mandated by the NMC’s FMGL rules.In addition, the Indian students who graduated from the Philippines’ medical colleges are not permitted to do a 12-month internship in any accredited Hospitals throughout the Philippines, alleged the students, while referring to the advisory issued by the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC) on August 13, 2025.Further, the students have alleged that the Philippines Medical Law allows only citizens of the country and does not permit foreign nationals, including Indian medical graduates from the Philippines, to appear for the Philippines Licensure Exam (PLE)- as per the Philippines Medical Act of 1959 and the APMC Advisory.What do the NMC’s FMGL regulations say?Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that regarding the matter of granting permanent registration to Foreign Medical Graduates, FMGL 2021 regulations stated the following:No foreign medical graduate shall be granted permanent registration, unless he has–(a) (i) undergone a course leading to foreign medical degree with minimum duration of fifty-four months;(ii) Undergone an internship for a minimum duration of twelve months in the same foreign medicalinstitution;(iii) Received a foreign medical degree with medium of instructions in English; and(iv) studied the mandatory subjects specified in the Schedule-I;(b) registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practice medicine given to citizen of that country;(c) undergone supervised internship in India for a minimum term of twelve months, after applying for the same to the Commission; and(d) has cleared the National Exit Test or such other mandated test or tests conducted by the Commission.The students’ appeal:In view of the above NMC regulations, the students have appealed that thousands of Indian students who enrolled after the FMGL rules were issued in November 2021 risk losing their future despite investing lakhs of rupees. This is because the majority of medical colleges in the Philippines offer a composite program with a first two-year BS course and thereafter a 4-year MD course (Graduate /Primary Medical Course being equivalent to MBBS). Since neither course was of 4.5 years duration, they became invalid after the implementation of the FMGL 2021 regulations.NMC’s decision affected around 10,000 Indian medical students who were pursuing the BS course in the Philippines. Even though NMC back in December 2023 granted relief to the FMGs in the Philippines and declared that the students- who were studying the BS course or had been admitted to the said course and were pursuing their studies physically in the medical institute abroad at the time of publication of the FMGL Regulation 2021- would be allowed to continue their medical education, this one-time exception was limited to only those who were admitted to the course before the FMGL 2021 regulations got published.Also Read: Philippines MD Degree Now NMC Compliant! Indian Students Eligible for FMGE, NExTRecently, media reports suggested that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) of the Philippines has officially confirmed that its Doctor of Medicine (MD) programmes align with the latest eligibility norms set by the National Medical Commission (NMC) in India.Now, writing to the authorities, a group of students has claimed otherwise. For this, they primarily relied on an Advisory issued by the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges, Inc. on 13.08.2025.Addressing the issue of application of Foreign Medical Graduates to participate in the National Internship Matching Program, APMC Inc had informed the Deans of Medical Schools and Directors of APMC Accredited Hospitals participating in the National Internship Program, that under the Philippine Laws (The Medical Act of 1959, as amended), only citizens of the Philippines are allowed to take the Physician Licensure Examinations (PLE), and completion of a…