THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD)
(a)to(e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.205 FOR 7TH DECEMBER, 2012
(a) The existing policy entails that an Indian citizen possessing primary medical
qualification from any medical institution outside India has to qualify the Screening Test
for getting provisional or permanent registration with the Medical Council of India or any
State Medical Council.
However, in order to meet the shortage of faculty in the country, Part II of Schedule III of
IMC Act has been amended in March, 2008 recognising postgraduate medical qualifications from
five English speaking countries namely Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United
States of America. Similarly, Screening Test Regulations have also been amended in December,
2011 allowing exemption of a person seeking provisional or permanent registration from the
Screening Test if he/she holds an Under Graduate medical qualification from Australia, Canada,
New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States of America and the holder thereof also been
awarded a Post Graduate medical qualification in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United
Kingdom, United States of America and has been recognized for enrolment as medical practitioner
in that country.
(b) Yes.
(c) As per information provided by National Board of Examinations, the details of number
of students who appeared in the Screening test and succeeded during each of the last three
years and the current year are as under:
Year No. of students appeared No. of students qualified
2009 6262 1017
2010 10115 2680
2011 13270 3576
2012 14476 3150
(d)&(e): Screening Test has been prescribed to ensure that citizens of India who obtain medical
qualification from universities or medical institutions outside India have acquired adequacy of
knowledge and skills as per the norms of MCI and to ensure that such students have secured proper
standard of medical education in the foreign countries, which are at par with standard of medical
education in India. Presently, the Screening Test is conducted by the National Board of
Examinations and the Screening Test has proved to be effective in maintaining the standards.
As such, presently there is no proposal to review the existing system of screening test.
