Andhra: Junior doctors back foreign medical graduates over delay in permanent registration

The Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJUDA) on Friday expressed solidarity with nearly 500 Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) who have been waiting for over 13 months to receive their Permanent Registration (PR), an official said.

APJUDA noted that the FMGs are yet to receive their PR despite completing internships of one to two years, as required by the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC).

''APJUDA is deeply concerned about the undue delay in granting PR to nearly 500 FMGs who have completed their internships,'' its general secretary, A Nikhil Singh, told PTI.

Singh alleged that despite the constitution of a new APMC three months ago, the issue remains ''unresolved due to administrative delays''.

The registrar's office has yet to begin shortlisting eligible candidates as per National Medical Commission (NMC) norms, prolonging uncertainty for FMGs in the state, he added.

According to an APJUDA press release, FMGs held a silent protest in Vijayawada on July 1, National Doctors' Day, which was ''disrupted by police intervention'', drawing criticism from the association.

Meanwhile, YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy criticised the government for using ''police force'' against FMGs demanding PR despite completing their internships and exams.

He questioned the police action against FMGs peacefully marching to meet the NTR Health University Registrar on June 1, alleging that many were ''manhandled, detained, and removed'' from the site.

Reddy further alleged that over 700 doctors were forced into extended, unpaid internships, preventing them from applying for postgraduate courses and causing severe career ''setbacks and emotional distress''.

''The N Chandrababu Naidu-led administration is exploiting FMGs as unpaid labour for private colleges while deliberately withholding PRs to serve corporate interests—a disgraceful betrayal,'' Reddy alleged, in a post on 'X' on June 2.

Reddy demanded the immediate issuance of PRs to all eligible FMGs as per NMC norms and questioned the government's alleged attempt to ''demoralise students'' who chose to pursue medical education abroad.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)