Philippines to allow students to practice medicine; how it will help Indians

According to the data from the Ministry of External Affairs in 2024, 9665 Indians were in the Philippines for higher education. This regulation change is likely to increase the number of Indian students enrolled in Philippine medical colleges by 25-30 per cent, says Gaurav Tyagi, Founder of Career Xpert.

Kadwin Pillai, managing director of Transworld Educare and Director of Kings International Medical Academy calls the amendment “transformative” which has the potential to further India and Philippines educational ties.

“The country’s English-based instruction, US-aligned curriculum and affordable tuition fees have drawn thousands of aspirants annually. Among 64 accredited medical schools and globally recognised residency programmes, the Philippines offers a rare combination of quality education and affordability,” said Pillai calling the amendment a great opportunity for Indian medical students.

According to study abroad consultants, factors such as low tuition fees, quality education, US-recognised syllabus and degree, extensive clinical practice, English as the teaching language, and climatic factors, among others are attracting international students, particularly Indians, to the Philippines. “By allowing foreign nationals to practice medicine in the country, the Philippines is strengthening its appeal as a destination for aspiring medical professionals,” said Aritra Ghosal, Founder and Director of OneStep Global.

Not just for Philippines, the recent amendment will bring bigger benefits for Indian students as “they can now access a larger market and obtain practical experience in a global healthcare setting when practicing in the Philippines. This makes it beneficial for students who find it challenging to return to India,” Gaurav Tyagi explained.

Along with Russia, Ukraine, and China, the Philippines could become a popular choice for Indian students pursuing medical education abroad.

Earlier speaking with The Indian Express some medical students shared why they did not prefer the big four nations for medical education but instead went to the island nation. A student from Telangana chose Philippines because of the nation’s affordability with quality education. Students such as Aditya have also claimed that the number of Indian students in the nation has been on the rise. — from 380 in 2019-19 to 1200 now.

Study abroad in Philippines

In the Philippines, the degree of MBBS is six years long with the last year devoted to internship opportunities. Any international student has to first enrol in a three-semester BS course before they are eligible to take the NMAT test and enrol for the MD course. Undergoing a BS course and getting a competitive score in the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) exam is a pre-condition for a medical course.

Other than the eligibility, Indian aspirants need to know that the Philippines has its nodal agency, the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), to look after higher education that publishes the list of medical colleges recognised by them that also includes all the state-run and private universities.

According to the Times Higher Education 2024 data, the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas ranked 1201–1500 and 1501+ respectively in the report. At the same time under the clinical and health category, the Philippines University ranked in a bandwidth of 510-600, while Santo Tomas had a rank bandwidth of 800-1000. The University of Santo Tomas (UST) is the oldest existing university in Asia. Filipino medical degrees are widely recognised by international organisations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), ECFMG, and the Medical Council of India (MCI).