India approves 24 China medical colleges

With China issuing stringent guidelines regulating admission of foreign students in its medical colleges, the Medical Council of India has decided to restrict issue of eligibility certificates for Indians to only 24 Chinese universities.

Indian students seeking admission into MBBS for 2007-2008 will get eligibility certificates only if their admission is in one of the 24 medical colleges approved by the Chinese government. Obtaining eligibility certificates from the MCI is a prerequisite for Indian students seeking admission in foreign medical colleges before they leave Indian shores.

MCI rules stipulate that only those students with eligibility certificates will be allowed to appear for the qualifying examination that it conducts to permit Indian students with foreign MBBS degrees to practice on Indian soil.

Though 30 Chinese institutions have been approved, the Chinese government has not given green signal to four of them to admit foreign students.

According to official sources, the Chinese government announced a series of measures designed to impose stricter control on English-language undergraduate medical education imparted to foreign students in China.

Authorities in the Indian Embassy in Beijing have written to the MCI stating that it should not issue eligibility certificates for non approved institutes.

A total of 2,095 medical seats are available in the 24 approved institutions for foreign students for this academic year. The MCI will issue eligibility certificates only to this extent.