Srinagar: The J&K Government has warned students and parents in J&K to desist from seeking admission in a medical college in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), stating that such qualifications will not be recognized by the approving authority in India.
A notice prepared by the Health and Medical Education Department today is a reproduction of an earlier notice issued by National Medical Commission, the approving and governing authority for all medical courses and registrations in India.
As per the notice, “Any qualification obtained from the medical colleges located within the illegally occupied areas of India shall not entitle a person for grant of registration under the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 to practice modern medicine in India.”
It may be noted that no medical practitioner can practice medicine in India until he or she gets registered by the NMC.
Additional Chief Secretary to J&K Government, Health and Medical Education Vivek Bhardwaj said that the notice is meant to remind people of the ramifications that will be in case they get admission at the medical colleges that are not recognised by the NMC.
He said he was not aware of any admissions being made in these colleges by students from J&K.
“It is important that the students know well in advance that they will have an issue in case they do not comply with the guidelines,” he said.
As per the notice, reason for the decision has been cited the non-recognition of the medical colleges in Pakistan occupied territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
“That the entire territories of UT of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India … Therefore, any medical institution in the Pakistan occupied territory requires permission and recognition under IMC Act 1956,” reads the notice while stating that Pakistan has an illegal and forcible occupation of the territory.
The notice is being issued in ‘Public Interest for the parents and students by the Health and Medical Education department of J&K Government’.
In 2017, Medical Council of India (MCI) had barred the first batch of Kashmiri students passing out from newly established medical colleges in PoK from appearing for the Indian medical certification test.
These students had admitted themselves in these medical colleges in 2011. In August 2020, the NMC had announced the decision not to grant registration to students who had studied from PoJKL colleges.