Why Indian foreign medical graduates are back protesting FMGE, weeks after NBEMS’ promises

Indian foreign medical graduates (FMGs) are back on Delhi streets, with some on hunger strike, weeks after the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) agreed to examine several of their concerns over the June 2026 FMG examination. The latest protest comes weeks after the candidates and the Board held rounds of talks. Candidates and medical students now say that while several of their demands were considered, their key demand for compensation for this year’s June examination remained unattended.

Read | FMGs want relief, while NBEMS says the competency bar is non-negotiable

Indian foreign medical graduates (FMGs) are back on Delhi streets, with some on hunger strike, weeks after the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) agreed to examine several of their concerns over the June 2026 FMG examination. The latest protest comes weeks after the candidates and the Board held rounds of talks. Candidates and medical students now say that while several of their demands were considered, their key demand for compensation for this year’s June examination remained unresolved.

The FMGE is the screening examination conducted by NBEMS for foreign-trained medical graduates seeking to practise medicine in India. The Health Ministry had earlier proposed a National Exit Test (NExT); once implemented, it is also expected to provide a common licensing framework for domestic and foreign medical graduates. The FMG protesters have themselves suggested that NExT could eventually provide a level playing field for both groups.

What happened after the first protest at Jantar Mantar?

The candidates say their agitation did not begin with the current hunger strike. They had been protesting from the time the June FMGE result was declared on July 10, after which the low pass percentage became the central issue.

The protest continued through July and culminated in a demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on August 3. Representatives of the All India Medical Students' Association – Foreign Medical Students' Wing (AIMSA-FMSW) and the All FMGs Association (AFA) were subsequently called for discussions with NBEMS officials.

Following the August 3 protest, NBEMS constituted an independent three-member committee to examine the issues raised by the candidates. It was tasked with reviewing the conduct and outcome of the June FMGE.

The protesters then suspended their agitation while discussions continued.

Candidates who spoke to Indianexpress.com said the meetings initially gave them hope that their concerns would be addressed. According to Dr Jaswant Singh Yadav, the main leader of the protesting candidates and one of those currently on hunger strike, representatives were told that the concerns would be investigated and that the Board would look into issues including the answer key, examination difficulty, video-based questions, fees and other complaints.

However, the candidates allege the discussions eventually stalled over what they consider the most important issue: relief for those who appeared in the June examination.

According to the protesters, the immediate dispute is over compensation for the June batch.

Candidates claim NBEMS representatives indicated that several demands could be addressed, including conducting FMGE three times a year, reducing the examination fee and introducing greater transparency in future examinations. The expert committee has since recommended several such changes, including a proposed increase in lower-difficulty questions, advance information about multimedia questions and a possible three-minute additional window for biometric formalities. It has also recommended that video-based questions be deferred for at least a year.