MCI certificate must for MBBS study abroad

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 22

Students who want to study MBBS abroad will have to obtain an eligibility certificate from the Medical Council of India (MCI) before leaving the country.

The certificate is also mandatory for students who are presently pursuing their MBBS or an equivalent course abroad.

The MCI executive committee has decided that those not obtaining an eligibility certificate will not be allowed to appear in the screening test, which is compulsory to get registered with the council and for practising medicine in India.

Due to the shortage of MBBS seats in the country, aspirants take admission in medical colleges in China, Russia, Central America and Philippines. The admission process in these countries is not so competitive.

Sources say many even get admission to medical colleges abroad without even possessing the qualification as required for a similar course in India.

The MCI thus wants to make sure that the student is eligible for admission to the MBBS course. The council will also check the credentials of the medical college concerned, said a senior functionary in MCI.

The eligibility certificate was mandatory earlier as well, but it was discontinued in October 2013 after irregularities came to the fore.