The National Medical Commission (NMC), India has been awarded recognition by World Federation for Medical Education for a duration of 10 years, revealed the Union Health Ministry.

WFME recognition will facilitate Indian medical graduates to pursue postgraduate training and practice in other countries such as United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand which come under WFME recognition themselves.

Under this accreditation, All of India’s Medical College established and those that shall be established in these 10 years de facto become certified WFME accredited. This means the current 706 medical colleges and counting.

This will also make India a centre for international students to seek education as the country is now in the league of the global standards.

The global best practices and benchmarks of the WFME will have to fulfilled by colleges under NMC thereby assuring alignment of Indian medical education toward quality enhancement.

The release added that recognition will increase the international recognition and reputation of Indian medical colleges and professionals hailing from these institutions, enable academic collaborations and exchanges and promote continuous improvement and innovation in medical education and foster a culture of quality assurance among medical educators and institutions.

 A non-governmental organization called the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) is dedicated to the global education and training of physicians. The primary goal of WFME is to "improve the quality of medical education globally by promoting the highest ethical and scientific standards in medical education." The group supports medical school accreditation and creates standards for medical education. Additionally, it shares management of the World Directory of Medical Schools.

Policies and regulations around licensing International Medical Graduates (IMGs)

The release stated that the Education Commission on Foreign Medical Education (ECFMG) is the chief body in the United States that oversees the policies and regulations around licensing International Medical Graduates (IMGs). USMLEs (United States Medical Licensing Examination) can only be written by graduates when certified by this body which will begin typically after completion of second year of a medical program, and before taking the USMLE Step 1 examination.

This new rule delineates that “starting in 2024, individuals applying for ECFMG Certification must be a student or graduate of a medical school that is appropriately accredited. More specifically, the school must be accredited by an accrediting agency that is officially recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME)”

A fee of Rs. 4,98,5142 ($60,000) per medical college will entail WFME recognition process, which covers the expenses of the site visit team, travel and accommodation. Therefore, 706 colleges in India applying for WFME recognition would amount to 351.9 crore ($4,23,60,000). It is noteworthy that NMC has taken recognition of WFME which shall be applicable to all medical colleges under its umbrella.

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