The Civil Society Forum Kashmir (CSFK) strongly urged the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Health Minister, and Secretary, Department of Health and Medical Education to take immediate steps to establish a Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) center in Kashmir Valley.
FMGE is an important screening test conducted by the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences for Indian students, who have completed their medical education abroad. Currently, there is no FMGE center in Srinagar or anywhere in the Kashmir Valley, despite the fact that most Indian states have several centers to complete local candidates.
Loss of a Kashmir Valley
Due to the absence of a center in Kashmir, aspiring doctors should travel long distances to Delhi, Punjab, or even other states in the south. this results in:
Financial stress, travel and housing challenges, safety and weather related concerns and mental stress before such an important examination
Number of FMGE centers in other Indian states (June 2025 session):
State FMGE Center City Total center
Tamil Nadu: Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai,: 6 Vellore, etc.
Kerala: Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Thrissur,: 6
Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot,: 5
Karnataka: Bengaluru, Mysore, Shivamogga,: 4 Udupi
Andhra Pradesh: Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati,: 4 Visakhapatnam.
Maharashtra: Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur: 4
Rajasthan: Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer: 4
Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow, Agra, Meerut: 3
Punjab: Patiala, Bathinda: 2
Haryana: Ambala: 1
Himachal Pradesh: Hamirpur: 1
Bihar: Patna: 1
Jharkhand: Hazaribagh: 1
Odisha: Bhubaneswar: 1
West Bengal: Kolkata: 1
Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu (No Center in Kashmir Valley): 1 (Valley outside)
Other North Eastern State: Guwahati, Shillong, Imphal, Eisol, etc.: 1 (each)
Kashmir is the only major region with a large FMG population in India, but without the local examination center.
We, members of the Civil Society Kashmir Forum, respectfully request the administration to establish an FMGE examination center or any other suitable city within the valley in Srinagar.
This will ensure; Equal opportunity for Kashmiri candidates, support for medical professionals returning from abroad, and strengthening local healthcare ecosystem
