Under the modified provisions of the Indian Medical Council Act 1956, which removed the restriction for granting temporary permission to foreign doctors only for the purpose of teaching, research and charitable work, 850 foreign doctors were granted temporary permission this year to practice in the country.

Foreign doctors are granted temporary permission by the Medical Council of India (MCI) on the basis of their applications received through the inviting institutions.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad informed the Lok Sabha on December 13 that 1289 foreign doctors sought permission between January 1 and December 10 this year, out of which 850 have been granted permission.

Maximum number of temporary permission was granted to foreign doctors to practice in Maharashtra (172) and Delhi (125). Tamil Nadu, an emerging medical hub, also received a huge number of permissions with approval to 114 foreign doctors.

The provisions of the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 allow temporary permission to foreign doctors for the purpose of teaching, research or charitable work for a specified period limited to the institution to which they are attached. Recently, the government, through the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Ordinance 2013, removed the restriction for granting temporary permission to foreign doctors only for the purpose of teaching, research and charitable work.

Source: India Medical Times