THE CBI has started investigation against 14 State medical councils and 73 foreign medical graduates who were allowed to practice medicine in India without qualifying mandatory Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), officials said Monday.

According to norms, a foreign medical graduate must qualify FMGE/Screening Test conducted by the National Board of Examination in order to get provisional or permanent registration with National Medical Commission or a State medical council to practice medicine in India.

The CBI has registered a case of alleged corruption, criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating against unidentified officials of state medical councils, erstwhile Medical Council of India, and 73 foreign medical graduates, the officials said. The National Board of Examination had intimated the Ministry of Health that 73 such medical graduates who did their MBBS from foreign countries such as Russia, Ukraine, China, and Nigeria during 2011-22 have not qualified its examination and yet got registration from various state medical councils.