Indian medical students studying in China seek physical training in India, HC responds

New Delhi, February 10: The Delhi High Court issued notice to the Centre and the National Medical Council (NMC) on Thursday in response to a petition filed by Indian students asking the NMC to allow physical training in India for students studying medicine in China and are stranded in their home country due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Petitioners, 147 medical students from Ningbo University in China, claim that they returned to India in early 2020 (January to March) and have been stuck in their home country ever since due to the Chinese authorities' reluctance to provide visas. On Thursday, the Division Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh sought a response from the Central Government through the Ministry of Law and Justice, External Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, and the National Medical Council, adjourning the matter till March 21, 2022. The court, while issuing notice to the respondents orally, instructed them to deal with the problem and find a solution because these are students, not terrorists. They're only praying for the arrangement of their study. Also Read | Pakistan summons India's envoy in Islamabad over Karnataka hijab row The plea seeks direction from the National Medical Commission to acknowledge online classes attended by the Petitioners by their universities in China. Students also request the court to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to meet the concerned Chinese authorities and resolve the issues of the Petitioners. The petition also asks the authorities to order the National Medical Commission to allow the Petitioners to engage in physical training, internships, and clerkships after obtaining the necessary permissions from Ningbo University (China), and to recognise the completion of the course from any other university outside China. The plea further stated that on January 1, 2022, a response was received from the National Medical Commission in response to an RTI Application filed by a student who is a petitioner herein, stating, "National Medical Commission grants permission recognition to the Medical Colleges Institutions within the country. Medical Graduates who possess the Foreign Medical Degree qualification may appear in Screening Test for his her registration in India provided that the Medical Qualification Degree is recognized in that country from where the same has been acquired." "In the present extra-ordinary circumstances, the Petitioners herein are neither being allowed to attain physical training/internships/clerkships in India by the NMC nor any clarifications being provided by the authorities regarding the approval to the online theory classes attended by them from their medical University situated in China," the petition by students read. In light of the Regulations of 2021, the petitioners are not even permitted to transfer from their current Medical University in China to any other Medical University outside of China. In this scenario, the future of Indian citizens studying medicine in China is jeopardised during these extraordinary times of medical emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the plea further stated. Also Read | Punjab logs 676 fresh Covid-19 cases, positivity rate at 2.15% -PTC News