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Journalism of Courage
Stuck in a limbo, many medical students who have returned from Ukraine universities are now hoping that the National Medical Commission arrives at a decision soon, so they can be accommodated in colleges within the country.
Final-year students, who would have completed their semester by April this year, said they are willing to appear for examinations and undergo the mandatory internship in India. First-year students said the uncertainty had made this a stressful time for them.
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Pune-based Hemant Nigade is relieved that his daughter Neha, a first-year MBBS student at Ukraine’s Ternopil university, has returned safely. “I shudder to think of what could have happened. I am in no hurry to send her back. We can only appeal to the authorities to ensure that our children can pursue their dream to become doctors,” Nigade said.
Several fourth- and fifth-year students are hoping for some update by March 13. Nagpur-based Ravina Tahkit, a fourth-year student from MI Pirogov national medical university in Vinnitsya, Ukraine, said, “We have been told to wait till March 13, after which there will be instructions on resuming online classes. I am hopeful of returning once the war is over. The entire course is of 5.8 years. We will wait here till June and then decide.”
Anil Rathore, a fourth-year student of Bogomolets National medical university in Kyiv, who is from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, said, “There is a lot of uncertainty, but we are hopeful of updates from our universities by March 13. The first choice is to stay back in India and follow guidelines as and when they are issued.”
Some students also said they were considering taking a transfer to universities in Poland and Armenia.
Suresh Chaudhari a fifth-year student from Ivano-frankivsk national medical university, Ukraine, hails from Kalyan. “I would have completed my final semester by April and am willing to give the examination. This was my last year and hence it makes sense for me to stay back in India and undergo an internship here,” he said.
Several students pointed out that fee for the entire 5.8-year course is in the range of Rs 20-25 lakh, while in India, they would have to cough up around Rs 10 lakh per year. The fee structure varies across various private medical colleges in states.
