Considering Allowing Ukraine-Returned Medicos to pursue education in India: Parliamentary Panel urges Health Ministry

New Delhi: Amidst all the confusion and uncertainties regarding the future of the Ukraine-returned medical students, a Lok Sabha Committee has recently expressed its concern about those students and recommended to accommodate those students in the Indian medical colleges.

While submitting its report on August 3, the committee addressed the plight of thousands of Indian students pursuing medical and other courses in Ukraine and China as they are not being able to return to these countries.

The panel headed by P P Chaudhury in its 15th report on "Welfare of Indian Diaspora: Policies/Schemes" has urged the MEA to pursue the matter with the health ministry vigorously as this step may solve the current crisis being faced by the students enrolled in Ukrainian universities, adds PTI.

Addressing the issue of Ukraine-returned medicos, who had to leave their studies incomplete because of the war-hit situation, the report stated, "These students have been left in a quandary as they could not re-join their courses physically or complete their internship or training in India."

"The committee has been informed that MEA had recommended to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to consider allowing Indian private medical institutions to enrol returnee students from Ukraine in their institutions on a one-time exemption basis," it said.

This definitely has come as a relief to thousands of Ukraine-returned medicos who are yet to get clarity regarding their future. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that after rescuing the medical students stuck in war-hit Ukraine, the Union Health Minister was contemplating the possible options for those students, so that they could complete their medical education in India.

Also Read: Ukraine Returned MBBS Medicos continue to protest seeking inclusion in Indian Medical Colleges

Several organizations came forward and urged the authorities to accommodate Ukraine returned medical students in the Indian institutes as a one time measure. In fact, a PIL had been filed in the Supreme Court as well seeking direction to the Central Government to integrate Ukraine Medical students into Indian medical system, keeping in view the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia.

Although the Supreme Court directed NMC for formulating policy to help FMGs who could not complete their practical training, the problems of the Ukraine returned medicos did not end with it. Around 18,000 such MBBS students, after coming back from the war-hit Ukraine, are now pursuing their medical education via online mode, which NMC does not recognize.

Meanwhile, in a major relief to the Ukraine returned medicos, NMC decided to frame a scheme and granted relaxation to medical graduates who completed their MBBS course from a foreign medical institute without undergoing physical clinical training.

Under the scheme, Indian students in the last year of their MBBS course who left their institute abroad due to Covid or the Russia-Ukraine war and completed their studies and also got a certificate of completion of the course on a date to be notified by NMC will be permitted to appear in Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, FMGE.

Upon qualifying the FMGE exam, such foreign medical graduates are required to undergo CRMI for two years. Although this solved a major problem faced by the Foreign medical graduates, the students pursuing their medical education via online medium are still unsure about their future.

Amid all this, the Lok Sabha Committee has urged the Union Health Ministry to consider allowing the Ukraine-returned medicos in the Indian Medical Colleges on a one-time exemption basis.

On Indian students enrolled in Chinese universities, the MEA has stated that the Indian Embassy in Beijing is preparing a list of such students to be shared with the Chinese side for consideration for their return to China.

"Keeping in view the fact that China has nearly five lakhs foreign students from various countries, the committee have urged the MEA to get in touch with the embassies of other countries so that coordinated efforts are made to facilitate the return of such students to China for resumption of their in-person classes," the report said.

The panel also criticised the government over the absence of a "clear-cut" policy on engaging with the Indian diaspora and recommended bringing out a document to serve as a guiding principle for a deeper and wider connection with the community.

The committee on External Affairs Ministry also expressed its displeasure over the government not yet having an authentic database of the Indian diaspora, and said Indian missions abroad should play a more proactive role in developing closer contact with the community.

In its 15th report that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, the panel noted that the Indian diaspora comprising over 18 million PIOs (persons of Indian origin) and 13 million NRIs is one of the largest overseas communities globally and the government must engage with it effectively.