Ramadoss has said that his ministry has recognised the post-graduate medical degrees of Britain, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
The health ministry cannot take a decision on foreign degrees by itself, says the Medical Council of India
NEW DELHI: Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss might have accepted the post-graduate medical degrees of five “English speaking nations”, but the Medical Council of India (MCI), the apex medical education regulating body of the country, said it does not recognise it.
“As per an act of Parliament, MCI is the medical education recognising body of the country. The health ministry cannot take a decision on foreign degrees completely by itself,” MCI executive member Vedprakash Mishra said.
Ramadoss has said that his ministry has recognised the post-graduate medical degrees of Britain, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. “We think acceptance of their degrees will benefit India. It’s a diplomatic move as well,” the minister said on the sidelines of an event in the capital.
However, MCI authorities said recognising the medical degrees should be bilateral. “When countries reject our degrees, how can we give them unilateral recognition?” asked Mishra.
“No, no, no...people of these five English speaking countries cannot come to India and directly practice here. We are here to regulate and we have not given this type of clearance yet,” he asserted.
However, he clarified that if the medical graduate is an Indian citizen then he or she can come back to the country, “do a 12 month internship in some reputed medical college, give a special test specified by MCI and then seek for registration for practice”.
Mishra said though they have “no problem with the minister”, MCI has to “follow the protocol”.
“We have made a presentation to the ministry officials and negotiations are under way on this issue. Let’s see when these yield results,” he clarified.
Elaborating on the foreign degrees recognition issue, he said if a country wants its degrees to be recognised then it must approach MCI.
“It must solicit re-organisation. It cannot be given like this. There are certain quality parameters and we should not compromise on them.”
Mishra further said Britain and India were recognising each other’s degrees but “the UK severed the relations citing one medical lapse by a postgraduate student from India who was practising there in the late 1970s. They did not even inform us.”
“Then prime minister Indira Gandhi retaliated with de-recognising UK degrees. India produces quality doctors and is certainly a place for generating global human capital.
“Why should we compromise? he asked.
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