Srinagar, July 26 (KNS) :The Civil Society Forum Kashmir (CSFK) has issued a fervent appeal to the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, the Health Minister, and the Secretary of the Health & Medical Education Department, urging immediate action to establish a Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) centre in the Kashmir Valley.
In a Statement issued The FMGE is a vital screening test conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) for Indian nationals who have completed their medical degrees abroad. At present, there is no FMGE centre in Srinagar or anywhere in the Kashmir Valley, despite the presence of multiple centres across other Indian states.
Kashmir Valley’s Unjust Disadvantage
Due to the absence of a local FMGE centre, hundreds of foreign-returned medical graduates from the Valley are forced to travel long distances to states like Delhi, Punjab, or even southern India to appear for the exam. This imposes significant hardship in the form of:
Financial burden
Challenges with travel and accommodation
Weather and safety-related concerns
Increased mental stress ahead of a critical examination
FMGE Centre Distribution (June 2025 Session):
State Centre Cities Total Centres
Tamil Nadu Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Vellore 6
Kerala Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Thrissur 6
Gujarat Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot 5
Karnataka Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Udupi 4
Maharashtra Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur 4
Rajasthan Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer 4
Uttar Pradesh Lucknow, Agra, Meerut 3
Punjab Patiala, Bathinda 2
Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh One each 1 each
Jammu & Kashmir Only in Jammu (None in Kashmir Valley) 1
Despite the growing number of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) from the region, Kashmir remains the only major area in India without a dedicated FMGE centre.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
CSFK’s Appeal
The Civil Society Forum Kashmir strongly urges the authorities to establish an FMGE examination centre in Srinagar or another suitable location within the Valley. This step will:
Provide equal opportunities for Kashmiri aspirants
Ease the path for medical professionals returning from abroad
Help strengthen the region’s local healthcare infrastructure
“Let merit be tested — not endurance.”
The CSFK emphasizes that young medical professionals should be judged on their qualifications and competence, not on their ability to endure logistical hardships.(KNS)