Medical education in Uzbekistan: Students must not be exploited, says MEA
MBBS abroad
New Delhi: India continues to engage with Uzbekistan over issues concerning Indian students pursuing education in the country and the Government remains focused on ensuring that the Indian students who are heading to Uzbekistan to pursue education, including medical education, receive quality education and are not exploited by unscrupulous elements, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday.
During the bi-weekly press briefing of the MEA, Jaiswal addressed a question regarding the reports of a decline in the number of Indian students and medical aspirants who want to pursue MBBS courses in Uzbekistan, from around 2,000 to 200.
When asked about the Indian Government's measures in this regard, Jaiswal said that the Government continues to engage with Uzbekistan regarding issues pertaining to Indian students.
"We continue to engage with the Uzbeki side as far as issues pertaining to Indian students are concerned," Jaiswal said.
He also referred to the advisories issued by the Indian Embassy in Tashkent and the National Medical Commission (NMC), outlining certain guidelines and advisories for students wishing to pursue education abroad, including the universities in Uzbekistan. "Please do have a look at the advisories that have been issued," he said.
Stressing that the Government remains focused on ensuring that the Indian students receive quality medical education in Uzbekistan, the MEA spokesperson also said that the government will also ensure that the Indian students do not face exploitation.
"I just want to say that government remains focused on ensuring that Indian students who are headed to Uzbekistan to pursue education, including medical education, must receive quality education. And quality education, quality medical education such that they comply with the guidelines of the National Medical Commission, which is a body here in India. It is also important to ensure that Indian students headed to Uzbekistan for medical studies or other studies are not exploited by unscrupulous elements both here in India as also in Uzbekistan," Jaiswal said.
"And as I said, I urge you to look at the advisories that we've issued. You will get a clearer idea as to why things are happening the way they are happening," he further added.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in a notice issued in April this year, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had reiterated the need for students and parents to carefully follow the prescribed guidelines and exercise utmost caution while seeking admission to foreign medical institutions.
Highlighting how several Indian students continue seeking admission in private medical colleges abroad that do not comply with the prescribed guidelines, curricula, timelines, and training standards, NMC had reiterated the requirement to follow strict compliance with the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021 notified on 18.11.2021, while taking admission in the foreign medical institutions/ colleges.
NMC had issued this alert specifically in relation to admissions sought by Indian nationals in medical institutions/ colleges in Uzbekistan including, Bukhara State Medical Institute (BSMI), Samarkand State Medical University (SSMU), Tashkent State Medical University (TSMU) and TIT Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, an offshore campus of TSMU Termez Branch, situated in Bangalore, India.
The medical council also said that the students must verify the recognition status of the University and ensure compliance with the NMC FMGL Regulations and check all mandatory requirements before getting admitted.
