Embassy of India in Beijing said that prospective Indian students who wish to seek admission for undergraduate clinical medicine programme in China are required to obtain a license to practice medicine in China before they appear for the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam (FMGE) in India.
In a clarifying advisory issued on Friday, the Indian Embassy said that such prospective Indian students are also required to clear the NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Under Graduate) exam, which is the entry examination for undergraduate medical education in India, as a prerequisite to pursue medical education abroad.
Only such students – after completing their degree program – can appear in FMGE which is required to pursue clinical medical practice in India.
The advisory was issued in response to several queries from prospective Indian students and their parents with respect to seeking admission to undergraduate clinical medicine programme in China.
It also informed them about issues related to the quality of clinical medicine undergraduate programme in China and less than satisfactory performance of Indian students passed out from Chinese medical colleges in FMGE, and the issues related to ‘Dynamic Zero Covid Policy’ of China which is making travel to China very difficult.
More than twenty thousand Indian students mostly enrolled in medical courses in different Chinese universities are waiting to return to China for more than two and half years due to COVID-related restrictions and a ban on direct flights to and from India.
China has now started giving visas but due to non-availability of direct flights, it is very costly affair to travel to China through transit route.
Embassy advisory also shared the list of 45 Universities in China that are authorised to give admission to foreign students to undertake clinical medicine undergraduate degree courses (in the English language) in China for the year 2019.
Regarding the quality of medical education in Chinese universities for foreign students, the embassy advisory mentioned feedback from past students who have completed such programs earlier.
One of the most common challenges is the English language skills of Chinese teachers in these universities, it said. Few students have also complained about lack of practical/clinical experience in terms of engaging with patients in certain universities.
