Harried Ukraine-returned medics launch digital drive

Hyderabad: Medicos who were persuading their students in Ukraine and had to return home following the Russia-Ukraine war launched an online campaign #saveukrainefmgs to reach out to the Indian government for saving their careers. As their new semester will begin soon, students are clueless as there is no concrete solution taken up by the government to accommodate them in medical colleges in the country.

Around 2,000 students retuned Telangana after the war broke out. While a few students are attending online classes, majority of them, especially the sixth-year medical students are in dilemma, as their new semester will begin very soon and can only return to Ukraine only after the Central government gives a nod.

Navya, a final-year medical student of Bukovinian State Medical University, said, "We came back to India with great difficulty. Our new semester will begin in September, and we have no idea whether we will be accommodated in any medical college. The Central government should atleast accommodate in medical colleges as online classes are not valid. We have been told that the certificate will be of no value if classes are attended online. We cannot even get transferred to another University as the new semester will begin from September. My career is at stake right now. As per the National Medical Commission rule, students have to study three semesters from any university after their transfer but whereas for me only two semesters are left, and if I get transferred now there will be a one-year academic loss for me. It will be better if the Central government gives us permission to continue online classes for more than six months."

"It is a do or die situation for us. Why are we being neglected? It has been almost six months since we returned from Ukraine and till date many representations were filed but we did not receive any response from the Indian government. Hence, we have started an online campaign #saveukrainefmgs. We hope that our issues reach out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Arvind, fifth-year MBBS student of Kharkiv National Medical University.

"We are in dilemma, as no one is listening to our pleas and many representations were ignored. We were told that our education would not get affected but what is happening to us now? Our new semester is about to begin. My university is forcing us to pay the fees but we cannot even return back to Ukraine till the Indian government gives us permission," said another medical student of Ukraine.