The Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled that online classes cannot substitute the experiential learning required in medical education, stating that core aspects like clinical exposure, patient handling, and practical skills are vital and irreplaceable components of medical training.
The High Court made this observation while hearing a writ petition filed by foreign medical graduates (FMGs) who challenged the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council’s refusal to issue them permanent registration certificates. The petitioners had earned MBBS degrees from foreign universities, passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), and held valid Screening Test Pass Certificates.
The Bench of Justice Kiranmayee Mandava noted, “As noted from the proceedings of the 1st respondent, the students were instructed to continue their internship at their allotted medical college and Hospital until further orders of A.P.Medical Council.”
The Court further added, “The medical profession, is something which requires practical knowledge and clinical training, which cannot be substituted by onlines classes. The regular medical course requires clinical skills training, dissections in laboratories to understand the human anatomy patient interaction, team based learning such as case studies and problem solving exercises. Thus the 4th respondent since it has been reported that the certificates produced by the students, certifying that the students have under gone offline classes, are found to be not genuine, came out with a new guidelines specifying that the FMGS should invariably undergo 2 to 3 years compulsory internship.”
The High Court dismissed the writ petition, holding that practical training is an essential part of medical education as emphasized in government circulars, and found no grounds to interfere with the Medical Council’s decision.
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