Ex-Soviet countries attract medical students from India

Tirupati: Several medical students from Chittoor district have been stranded in Ukraine and desperately looking for a safe return to their native places. Officials were of the view that more than 40 students from the district were studying in Ukraine and the process of identifying all of them is continuing.

As severe tension prevailed in the country following the invasion by Russia, the parents were in a state of panic and looking for the safe return of their wards.

To fulfil their ambition of pursuing medical education, several parents were looking at countries in former Soviet countries, including those part of Europe, where the admission process was easy compared to India and the cost of completing the total course is also much cheaper. In fact, the countries of Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Romania etc., have become favourite destinations for pursuing medical education.

Though, now only NEET qualified candidates are eligible to get admission in the medical universities there, in the past it was even easier as the admissions were based on their Intermediate marks. The president of Belarus students' parents association Veera Kiran told The Hans India that it has become difficult for students in middle class families to join medical courses with the reservation policies and the cost of education while those European countries have been paving the way for them.

He said that a student has to spend between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 1 crore to complete MBBS in a private college here whereas the six-year course can be completed within Rs 20 lakh in those countries. The standard of education is also good and students can clear the Foreign Medical Graduate exam in India after completing the course in those countries and complete house surgeon here which will enable them to practice on par with other medical graduates in India.

He added that though there was no war fear in Belarus, parents started enquiring with their children frequently about the situation there which sent them into a panic. The final year students' course will be completed in the next four months and the students are caught in a difficult situation of staying there and completing the course or returning to India.

Everything was going on well till now, and the students have had a very nice time. The parents too were a happy lot as they could see doctors from their families. It was said that there are about 200 students in Belarus itself from the district while the number may be even more in Ukraine. The parents were eagerly waiting for cessation of war very soon.