Consequent to the decision of government of India to recognize the Post-Graduate Medical Degrees awarded by Educational Institutions in Australia, Canada, Newzeland, the U.K. and U.S.A., the Indian Medical Council has issued a notification to this effect on March 10th 2008 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. These Degrees would be recognized subject to the condition that they are recognized in the Country from where it is obtained for enrollment of Medical Practitioners. India has already recognized Medical Degrees of Myanmar, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Japan and Hongkong.
The decision was aimed at overcoming the shortage of medical practitioners in the country. This would also facilitate Indian Students to pursue these P.G. Medical Studies in foreign countries and also enable them to prectise medicine in specified fields in India. It would also help Indian citizens possessing the Foreign Degree Medical Qualification to pursue their profession in India should they decide to return to their mother country.
Here are some of the key statistics relating to Medical Education in India; (a) there are 271 Medical colleges in the country out of which 138 are in Governmental sector and the remaining 133 in the private sector. The MBBS students in take of these Colleges are about 31372 and the number of Seats available in various P.G. Medical Courses are 11005. The total number of Registered Allopatheic Doctors in the country are 6,83,582 besides the availability of 6 lac practitioners of Indian System of Medical and Homeopathy.
The present doctor to population ratio is 1:1634 and with the above move this ratio is expected to improve.
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