The decision comes as an important step towards addressing the long-standing issue of internship shortages faced by Indian students who completed their medical education abroad and were awaiting placements to fulfil mandatory licensing requirements.

Online Portal Introduced for Future Internship Allotments

Along with expanding internship opportunities, the state government has also launched an online portal to streamline and manage future internship allotments for FMG candidates.

The digital platform is expected to make the allocation process more transparent and efficient by reducing delays and enabling smoother coordination between medical institutions and internship applicants.

Relief for FMGs Awaiting Internship Placements

Foreign Medical Graduates are doctors who pursued their medical education in overseas institutions and subsequently cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), making them eligible to undertake the compulsory rotating medical internship in India.

Many FMG candidates had reportedly been waiting at the Directorate of Medical Education office in Chennai for internship postings due to limited availability of seats in approved institutions.

Of the candidates who were awaiting placements:

• 23 FMGs were posted to government teaching hospitals

• 13 FMGs were allotted positions in district headquarters hospitals

• The remaining candidates were distributed among the newly designated non-teaching hospitals across Tamil Nadu.

The move is expected to significantly ease the backlog of internship applications and help FMGs complete the mandatory training required for medical registration and professional practice.

Major Hospitals to Accommodate FMG Interns

Several reputed hospitals across Tamil Nadu have been designated to accommodate FMG interns.

According to the allotment plan:

• MIOT Hospital, Chennai

• Meenakshi Mission Hospital, Madurai

• Railway Hospital, Chennai

• Sri Rama Krishna Hospital, Coimbatore

Each of these hospitals has been allotted the capacity to accommodate 40 FMG interns.

Other hospitals participating in the internship programme include prominent healthcare institutions such as K.G. Hospitals, Coimbatore, and Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, among others.

Addressing Internship Bottlenecks

The inclusion of non-teaching hospitals in the internship framework marks a significant policy initiative by the Tamil Nadu government. In recent years, hundreds of FMGs across the country have faced delays in completing their internships due to a shortage of seats in government medical colleges and teaching hospitals.

By permitting approved non-teaching institutions to host interns, Tamil Nadu has sought to expand training capacity while ensuring that qualified FMGs receive timely opportunities to complete their clinical training.

Healthcare experts believe that the decision will not only benefit FMG candidates but also strengthen the state's healthcare delivery system by bringing additional trained medical professionals into hospitals and healthcare facilities.

A Significant Step Towards Medical Workforce Expansion

The creation of additional internship positions and the introduction of an online allotment system reflect Tamil Nadu's efforts to modernise medical administration and reduce procedural delays.

The initiative is expected to provide a structured pathway for FMGs to complete their compulsory internships, obtain registration, and subsequently contribute to the healthcare workforce in Tamil Nadu and across the country.