Correspondence Published on March 11, 2023
Ramifications of Ukraine War on India based Ukraine Medical Students
Novonil Deb1, Poulami Roy1*
1. Medical Student, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital>
Sir,
The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has blitzed several parts of Ukraine, leading to a humanitarian crisis. With the grim scenario of mounting casualties and increasing threat to the peoples’ lives, the Government of India has launched Operation ‘Ganga’, a prodigious evacuation plan for rescuing the Indian students stuck in Ukraine.
Currently, there are 23 medical universities in Ukraine, of which 19 are approved by the Medical Council of India. Data from the Government of India reveal that over 18,095 students from India are studying in Ukraine, 90% of whom are medical students.1,2 Owing to high cut offs and exorbitant management quota fees, Indian students belonging to the middle class are forced to study medicine abroad.
Due to war, medical students in their final and the pre-final years have been adversely affected, leaving them with no options for hands-on clinical experience and training. The entire medical infrastructure has been disrupted for the same and a much needed revamp is necessary once the war plummets down.
Several measures for assuring rehabilitation are being thought of by the Indian Government, but no definitive measures have been implemented so far. If the conditions ameliorate, students will return to their universities soon. Otherwise, they will either have to continue their medical training in other countries or pass the licentiate exams to pursue their training in India. The mandatory KROK2 exam has been scrapped off for this year and the students will be awarded MBBS degrees once the situation normalises.3 With no signs of normalcy to return in Ukraine, many students are demanding intervention to allow them continue their medical education in India. Many states have proposed to extend a helping hand to such students : their expenses will be borne by the government and they might get an opportunity to study in medical colleges in India. This idea, however, has some lacunae as the curriculum and the methodology in India and Ukraine are grossly different. The education abroad might not be up to the standard which is pointed at by extremely poor pass percentage (20%) in FMGE as per NBE . Several agents from substandard or unrecognised institutions have also bombarded the vulnerable students with dubious offers of completing their degrees in other foreign institutions and even in India on condition of paying hefty amounts. Nevertheless ,the future of such students continues to remain in the dark.
End Note
Author Information
Funding : None
Conflict of Interest : None declared.
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