Jammu Kashmir’s Foreign Medical Graduates Left Waiting as Provisional Registration Delays Stall Internships for 173 Candidates | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Foreign medical graduates in Jammu and Kashmir have accused the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Council of causing prolonged and avoidable delays in issuing the provisional registration required for starting their compulsory rotatory medical internship, forcing 173 qualified candidates into uncertainty despite the completion of all formalities.

According to the students, the crisis began after JKMC invited online applications for CRMI through a notification issued on October 1, 2025. The deadline was later extended to October 26 for the issuance of the merit list and college allotment. A provisional merit list was published on October 30, followed by the final list on November 7, with the caveat that all seat allocations would require clearance from the Health and Medical Education Department.

The government has said that JKMC submitted a request for approval to the department on October 17, but no follow-up action was taken for several weeks. Approval was eventually granted on November 26, nearly forty days later, after repeated efforts by the students themselves. Even after the clearance, candidates said no provisional registration has been issued, preventing them from joining internships in government medical colleges and associated institutions.

Many students reportedly visited the council office but said they were met with indifference and no resolution to their grievance. Candidates said the delay was mentally exhausting, particularly after years of preparing for and clearing the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, the mandatory screening test.

They also noted that states such as Jharkhand and Uttarakhand have already begun their internship batches, leaving Jammu and Kashmir students falling behind through no fault of their own.

The affected graduates have appealed to the Lieutenant Governor, the Health Minister, and the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir to intervene and direct the JK Medical Council to immediately issue provisional registration. They said timely action would prevent academic loss and allow young doctors to contribute to the health system instead of being stalled by administrative delays.

Jammu and Kashmir Medical Council has said it will issue provisional registration certificates to foreign medical graduates shortlisted for compulsory rotational medical internship once the Council receives verification of their academic and professional credentials. This verification process, the Council has stated, includes confirmation of Class 10 and Class 12 certificates from the Board of School Education; the Eligibility Certificate issued by the National Medical Commission; the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination result from the National Board of Examinations in New Delhi; and the degree certificates and marks cards from the respective foreign universities and colleges, which must be authenticated through their embassies and high commissions in New Delhi.