Medical students from Ukraine seek completion of course in India
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Medical students who returned from Ukraine due to the ongoing crisis have approached the Indian government seeking course completion. A group of students staged a demonstration in Chennai demanding that the Central and State governments allow them to complete their studies in India.
Students have demanded that the Tamil Nadu government should give them admission to medical colleges in the country without entrance tests and lakhs as tuition fees. They cited their displacement due to the war as a reason for the demand.
Over 18,000 Indian students in different years of medical programmes had to discontinue their education due to the Russian invasion.
M.R. Gunasekaran, President of Ukraine MBBS Students Parents Association, said 1,896 medical students from Tamil Nadu have their lives in jeopardy due to war. West Bengal, Gujarat, and Telangana have assured Ukraine-returned students that they will receive help regarding their education. "Tamil Nadu government is yet to do so".
Similar demonstrations might be held in Madurai, Trichy, Kanyakumari, Salem, and Coimbatore as well.
The External Affairs Ministry had written a letter to the National Medical Commission (NMC) to allow admission to Ukraine-returned medical students in private colleges in India. On April 29, the Supreme Court ordered the NMC to frame a scheme for these students within two months.
As of now, there are no norms under NMC regulations to accommodate Indian students pursuing medical courses abroad who have to return home midway. In March, medical graduates with incomplete internships due to the war or Covid-19 were given permission to finish the programmes in India.
