Some 2,000 who returned to Tamil Nadu will have to take fresh loans and seek admission in medical colleges in other countries.
Published Jul 27, 2022 | 11:04 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 29, 2022 | 1:55 PM
Medical students who returned from Ukraine stage a sit-in in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in May demanding justice. (Supplied)
The future of nearly 2,000 Ukraine-returned Medical students of Tamil Nadu appears bleak as no Indian medical college is allowed to admit them.
Recently, the Union government told the Lok Sabha that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has refused to transfer or admit any foreign medical students to any Indian medical university or institution.
The news came as a huge disappointment to Rajesh Kumar, a third-year MBBS student of Kharkiv National Medical University, Ukraine, who returned to India from a war-torn country in March.
He told South First that he was assured of a medical seat in any of the 680 medical colleges across the country.
“Now that the NMC has refused to permit our admissions, l see no future in India. I am now forced to transfer to another country to resume my MBBS course. My father recently passed away and I don’t see how I can burden my mother with such a huge expense,” Kumar told South First.
Rajesh, coming from the small town of Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, had moved to Ukraine to become a doctor in 2019.
The sudden outbreak of war forced nearly 20,000 Indian students studying in Ukraine to return to their hometowns, as per the data of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
While the medical students allege that the Union government had promised to provide them admission to any Indian medical university or institution, the NMC has now stated that there is no such provision in the Indian Medical Council Act 1956, the National Medical Commission Act 2019, or in its own regulations.
In a move to draw attention to the issue, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 July and urged him to help secure the students’ future.
Hon’ble @PMOIndia,
The reply given by MoS @MoHFW_INDIA in Parliament has caused anxiety among students who returned from Ukraine and are unable to continue their studies.
I request your urgent intervention in this regard & take steps to provide them with alternative options. pic.twitter.com/4KJghCN37G
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 24, 2022
Standing in support of their children, the Ukraine MBBS Students Parents Association of Tamil Nadu told South First that more than 2,500 students of the state — and not 2,000 as reported — have returned home from Ukraine.
“My only options now are to get transferred to Georgia, Poland, or Armenia. It would cost me a lot more as the government is reluctant to help us with accommodation in those countries,” added Rajesh.
Mohammad Fazulullah, a fourth-year student at the same university, and a native of Koottil in Malappuram of Kerala, is eager to return to Ukraine, but the unrest prevailing there is causing him to worry.
“The offline classes are likely to begin in September, but it’s not yet confirmed. Our parents don’t want us to go to Ukraine until the situation is stabilised,” Fazulullah told South First.
The parents of these students are no less stressed about the situation.
“We sent our children to Ukraine because MBBS education was more affordable there. But now, the situation is reversed and we have only two choices — let the children drop out of the course or apply for more loans and pay for the extra expenses,” Shiva, a parent told South First.
Final year MBBS students who have returned from Ukraine are the most stressed of the lot. With just one year left to complete the degree, they are left with little choice but to come up with the funds required to complete their course.
Surya, a fifth-year MBBS student and a native of Chennai, said his degree would not be valid unless he completed his practical classes.
“Students in the final leg need to do internships physically. But as there are no practical classes now, we cannot do internship either and our degrees stand invalid,” he pointed out.
Some students told South First that the hospitals in Tamil Nadu have demanded fees from the students to allow them to do internship.
In support of the students, CN Raja, president Indian Medical Association (IMA), Tamil Nadu chapter, told South First that considering the vulnerability of the students, it is possible that some private clinics have demanded money to allow them to complete their internship.
