Hyderabad: The National Medical Commission has once again cautioned Indian students against joining specific foreign medical colleges in Belize and Uzbekistan, warning that these institutions do not meet India’s standards for medical education and could jeopardise future registration to practise allopathy in the country.
In an official advisory, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) under the NMC named four universities—Central American Health and Sciences University, Columbus Central University, and Washington University of Health and Sciences in Belize, and Tashkent State Medical University in Uzbekistan. The NMC said these colleges lack necessary academic and clinical standards.
The alert is based on formal inputs from the Indian Embassy in Mexico and the Eurasia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs. Authorities found that the institutions lacked basic infrastructure, charged exorbitant fees, and misled students about facilities and academic quality. Students attempting to withdraw after admission were reportedly harassed.
The NMC underlined that despite prior warnings, some students continue to enrol in these colleges based on false promises made by private consultancies. It reiterated that Indian nationals pursuing medicine abroad must ensure strict adherence to Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) rules—covering course duration, syllabus, teaching medium, clinical training, and internship.
The commission warned that failure to meet these conditions could result in denial of registration to practise medicine in India.
