It has also asked them to consult earlier advisories as well as National Medical Commision regulations

The Indian Embassy in Beijing has issued a comprehensive advisory to students planning to study medicine in China.

It has also requested the relevant Chinese authorities and medical colleges to ensure that all Indian students coming to China for clinical medicine programmes are educated, trained, and facilitated so that they can fulfill the requirements to practice in India.

"The Embassy continues to receive queries from prospective Indian students as well as their parents regarding eligibility for Indian students who are pursuing clinical medicine program in China to appear in qualifying examination conducted by National Medical Commission of India," it said in a press release issued on Monday.

"In this regard, the students and their parents are requested to see the Gazette Notification dated November 18, 2021 by the National Medical Commission (NMC). It has unambiguously stated in Clause 4(b) that foreign medical students must be “registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practice medicine given to citizen of that country,"" advisory added.

The Embassy said it had apprised the Chinese authorities concerned and medical colleges with a request that they should ensure that all Indian students coming to China for clinical medicine program are educated, trained and facilitated so that they can fulfill the above requirements of NMC.

It added that any student who joins for clinical medicine program in China after November 2021 and fails to obtain license to practice as a medical doctor in China, will be rendered ineligible to appear for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination.

The examination is essentially a screening test for graduates who obtain their primary medical qualification from outside the country and want to practice medicine in India.

The Indian Embassy also referred to a related query on whether the Indian students can work in Chinese hospitals in a capacity such as "assistant doctor" after completing their medical education in China but fail to obtain medical practitioner license in China so as to enable them to earn a living and payback education loans.

"The Embassy has formally approached relevant Chinese authorities to confirm existence of such an option. The Embassy will share any information, when received from the Chinese side, in its social media handles," the release noted.

The Indian Embassy also advised prospective Indian students and their parents to consult earlier advisories as well as the pertinent NMC regulations, before considering options to enrol in clinical medicine programmes in China.

"Prospective students/parents are advised to directly re-confirm all terms of reference of admission directly from the relevant University(ies) in China, before accepting such admission," it added.

Notably, China started providing visas to foreigners who received approval from their home colleges and universities to return and started enrolling new students. However, many Indian students find it hard to travel to China as both countries have yet to resume flight services.