New Delhi: Nearly four months have passed since the war in Ukraine and he was forced to leave his studies midway and return to India. Now back home, thousands of medical students find themselves frustrated with the National Medical Commission (NMC).
Their growing frustration – around 250 students protested outside the NMC’s office in Delhi on Tuesday – stemmed from the top regulator’s decision to bring them back home to colleges.
Some states, such as West Bengal and Karnataka, have allowed medical students who have returned from Ukraine to attend state colleges as “supervisors”, as the Undergraduate Medical Board of NMC (UGMEB) is considering an official decision- Discusses, but the students say they need a “supervisor”. Permanent solution” which will enable them to complete their studies.
ThePrint reached out to NMC chairman Suresh Chandra Sharma over the phone, but he declined to comment on the issue.
earlier this yearThe Supreme Court had directed the NMC to decide the matter by June 29. According to the students, due to the delay, an announcement in this regard is now expected on July 15.
The duration of MBBS degree course is five and a half years, consisting of nine semesters and one year of compulsory rotating internship.
Citing sources within the NMC, a PTI report good In June it was indicated that the regulator had drafted a proposal to allow final year students to complete their studies online before appearing for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE). The report said that if the proposal is approved, students who pass the FMGE will have to do an internship of two years instead of one.
Another draft proposal mentioned in the report states that first and second year medical students will have to start their graduation from the beginning by appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). There were no offers specific to third and fourth year students.
In March, the government evacuated about 18,000 Indian students stranded in war-torn Ukraine, an initiative it called ‘Operation Ganga’. According to reportsAt least two Indian students were killed in Ukraine, one from shelling and the other from a stroke.
Meanwhile, hundreds of other students had to take refuge in underground bunkers in at-risk cities such as Kharkiv and Sumy. Kharkiv National Medical University and Sumy State University are some of the most popular colleges where Indian students study medicine in Ukraine.
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‘Neat not a viable option’
with his parents on Tuesday about 250 medical students Demonstration outside the office of NMC in Delhi’s Dwarka neighborhood against the draft proposals allegedly made by the apex regulator.
Gracie Arora (20), a second year student at Vinnitsa National Medical University in Ukraine, traveled all the way from Madhya Pradesh to take part in the demonstration.
“The draft proposals made by the NMC are not in favor of the students at all. They want the first and second year students to start fresh and prepare for NEET. This means that two years of studying abroad will be wasted,” she told ThePrint.
“Final year students will also have to appear for FMGE and if they pass, they will have to go for two years internship instead of one year. This means we will be on the backfoot as compared to our peers,” said another student Ayushi Tanwar (21).
News agency PTI cited source Within the NMC it stated that students who do not agree to the proposals “can complete their medical studies in CIS countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Romania, which allow continuing studies for already affected candidates.” have shown willingness to give.” Global crisis in their countries”.
Aayushi’s father Pradeep Tanwar, a property dealer in Delhi, was also involved in Tuesday’s protest.
“We have already paid $5,000 every year for our daughter’s four-year education in Kharkiv. We need clarity from NMC if we are considering to pay for next semester also. Furthermore, it is not only impractical for the NMC to ask our children to go back to Europe if they do not agree with their proposals, but insensitive,” he told ThePrint.
‘Supervision is the temporary solution’
West Bengal government from 1st June allowed 394 students who were studying in medical colleges in Ukraine before the Russian invasion had to undergo “supervision” State-run medical college.
Karnataka government also did promised To make an exception for 700 medical students returned from Ukraine by accommodating 60 medical colleges in the state.
Sayan Chowdhury, a fourth-year student at Ivano Frankivsk National Medical University in Ukraine, said he is attending practical classes and lectures at the College of Medicine in Kolkata and JMN Hospital, a government university in West Bengal.
“Fortunately, my state has allowed returnees from Ukraine to attend lectures and practical classes in state colleges. They have also given us identity cards. But it is in an ‘observer’ capacity, which means it is a temporary solution. This is not really auditing nor is it a formal nomination,” Chaudhary told ThePrint.
He said, “The colleges in the state are still waiting for a permanent solution from the NMC. I am also getting worried because I have not yet paid for my next semester at Ivano Frankivsk National Medical University. I need some clarity from NMC to take such decision.
The students also pointed out that “supervision” does not mean that students will be eligible for FMGE.
(Edited by Amritansh Arora)