No Provision In Law To Accommodate Ukraine-Returned Medical Students: Govt Tells Rajya Sabha

Many students studying in various medical colleges across Ukraine had to abandon their courses and return home after Russian forces launched an offensive against the eastern European country.

A stranded Indian student seen carrying a pet upon arrival at Hindon Air Base after being evacuated from war torn Ukraine (Source: File photo/Getty)

New Delhi: Amid the raging war between Russia and Ukraine, a section of students is trying to raise the pressure to be accommodated in Indian universities. In reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar stated that the National Medical Council has not given permission to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students in any Indian medical institute or university.

"There are no such provisions in Indian Medical Council Act 1956 & National Medical Commission Act, 2019 as well as the Regulations to accommodate or transfer medical students from any foreign medical institutes to Indian medical colleges," said Minister in a written reply on Tuesday.

As per information received from MEA, about 20,000 Indian students returned from Ukraine. Foreign Medical Students/Graduates are either covered under "Screening Test Regulations, 2002" or "Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021": MoS Health & Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/fwVscNENec

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2022

The minister stated that "as per information received from MEA, about 20,000 Indian students returned from Ukraine. Foreign Medical Students/Graduates are either covered under 'Screening Test Regulations, 2002' or Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021."

"As per information received from MEA, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv has communicated with all the concerned universities in Ukraine for providing transcripts and other documents in a smooth manner to the students. All details have been provided on the website of the Embassy to assist students to address any related issues," said the minister. 

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party's senior leader Sushil Gupta has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save the future of medical students who returned to the country after being evacuated from war-torn Ukraine.

"I urge you to take a generous view in this regard and to do everything possible to save the future of all those MBBS students who have returned from Ukraine. Please accord your highest priority to this issue," the Rajya Sabha MP, who is also the AAP's Haryana unit in charge, wrote in his letter on Monday.

Gupta mentioned that he had received a letter from PAUMS "requesting to save the future of all Ukraine-returned MBBS students".

"In this connection, I would like to bring to your notice that a delegation of parents from Haryana also met me recently. They all come from middle class families and are tensed due to the current situation in Ukraine," he wrote. 

Many students studying in various medical colleges across Ukraine had to abandon their courses and return home after Russian forces launched an offensive against the eastern European country.

In April, as well, parents of these MBBS students had organised a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi requesting the govt's mediation in rescuing the students.