Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG) request the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) to conduct the remainder of the ERPM examination for the few candidates that are left as soon as possible, and allow the group of eligible FMG’s to begin their internship, either as part of the batch of upcoming interns (July 2021), or later as an adjunct to the upcoming intake of interns. Foreign Medical Graduates in Sri Lanka to launch a protest entirely online in this regard.
Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG) are now awaiting the completion of the April / May 2021 ERPM -Viva Component which has now been postponed due to the Covid19 situation in the remaining examination stations. Out of 850+ candidates roughly 600 have already completed the exam. Therefore, the number of candidates that have not yet been able to complete the exam is roughly 250. Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG) is in a deep disappointment that the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) is preparing to proceed with yet another intake of interns (Repeat batch) which will not include these FMGs simply because they are unable to find an alternate means of conducting the exam for the said group of 250 candidates.
Even though Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG) completely understand the gravity of the situation in the country, it is their concern that the upcoming intake of interns includes only 320 new junior doctors, who are expected to take over the duties of 541 outgoing doctors, which will inevitably put a serious strain on this new batch of junior doctors, especially when the burden of the pandemic is on the rise.
The affected students, who have already lost 6 months of seniority (since the last intake), will once again be forced to fall lower in the professional hierarchy until such a time as the next intake will occur.
This is a situation which could be rectified by completing the examinations, and including the eligible FMG’s. Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG) deeply displeased by the lack of effort and enthusiasm shown by the Examination Unit of the SLMC in making alternate arrangements to finish the exam at a time of national crisis.
Sri Lanka Foreign Medical Graduates FMG Protest demanding ERPM exam