The Russian invasion of Ukraine has left hundreds of parents across Karnataka in jitters as their wards are frantically appealing for safe passage out of the eastern European nation amid a worsening military crisis.
The large presence of Indian students in the war-torn country has left many wondering what makes Ukraine the hub of medical education. According to experts, affordable fee structure, hassle-free admission without any tests beckon students from India who struggle to cope with the rising costs of medical education.
A former vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) told DH that it is easier to get admission in any of the colleges of Ukraine or Russia as there are no entrance tests and the cost of education is also affordable compared to India. “Most of these students will either be ineligible to get through the NEET or cannot afford the cost of medical education under the management quota,” he explained.
According to experts, on average, about 10,000 students go to Ukraine every year to pursue medical, dental and veterinary courses
Dr P G Girish, Director of, Department of Medical Education said, “If you look at the fee structure, one can finish the entire MBBS course in Ukraine just by spending one-year fees charged by the private medical colleges here under the management quota.”
Experts revealed that the approximate expenditure for the six-year MBBS course in Ukraine would cost around Rs 17 lakh and another Rs 3.5 lakh on the accommodation. But, in India, one would end up spending about Rs 1 crore per year for the four-and-a-half-year course under the management quota.
However, Dr Girish expressed that, the universities and colleges in India are better off than those in Ukraine in quality and advanced methods of teaching and research. “This is the reason that the Centre introduced mandatory qualifying examination for those who have completed medical degrees from overseas universities. If they fail to qualify, they are not eligible to practice here in India,” he said.
As per the sources associated with the National Medical Commission (NMC), not even 18% of medical graduates from countries like Ukraine clear the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) in India. Students with medical degrees from Ukraine, China, the Philippines and Russia often take these tests for qualification.
Dr M K Ramesh, Vice-Chancellor, RGUHS, who was the president of Post Graduate Medical Education Board at NMC said, “Keeping in mind the quality of education, the NMC had even introduced compulsory internship for those who clear FMGE and only after they were allowed to practice in India.”
According to K S Gangadhar, former director of Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences, Karnataka has about 63 medical colleges and out of which 20 are government colleges. The remaining ones are either private or deemed universities. While they offer 40% of their total seats to the government quota students, 60% of seats are admitted under the management quota.
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