The judgment was passed in an appeal moved by the NMC against the decision of the Madras High Court which allowed the respondent-students who joined MBBS courses in medical colleges in the People’s Republic of China, to be provisionally registered and undergo internship.
The students claimed that they had completed nine semesters of their course, including the clinical course on campus during the ninth semester. However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical training for the subjects of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Nuclear Medicine in the 10th Semester was done online. Subsequently, they were given their MBBS degrees by the foreign institute.
The respondent students claimed that they are qualified doctors who had cleared the Indian Screening Test. Despite this, the NMC declined to grant them provisional registration. However, they admitted that they had not undergone practical and clinical training in the physical form, but had undergone the course through online mode for the entire duration. This satisfied the requirement under Regulation 4(3) of the Screening Regulations, it was contended.
Source: Barandbench
