Context

The war in Ukraine and the evacuation program launched by the government following the crisis have highlighted the number of students that travel abroad for medical education.

Details

  • According to estimates, there are about 18,000 Indian students in Ukraine.
  • Many of them are still stuck in many places of Ukraine and for those who have returned, there is uncertainty about their future.

Countries preferred by Indian students for medical education

  1. Russia
  2. China
  3. Ukraine
  4. Kyrgyzstan
  5. Kazakhstan
  6. Philippines

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Why do Indians go abroad to medical study?

  • The cost of living and the medical course are cheaper than paying for an MBBS seat in private medical colleges in India.
  • The medium of education for these students is English, a language with which they are comfortable.
  • The desire to study medicine holds a lot of value in the Indian community.
    • In remote-far-flung areas, people still look at doctors as gods.
  • The lack of equal opportunities is magnified by the caste factor in the Indian context.
    • For many years, few communities were robbed of the opportunities, and finally they have a chance of achieving significant educational status.
  • Lack of medical seats in India.

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Lack of medical seats in India

  • India currently does not have enough medical seats with respect to the number of medical aspirants.
  • Based on the information from the National Medical Commission (NMC), in 2021-22, there were 596 medical colleges with a total of 88,120 seats.
  • According to the National Testing Agency, in NEET 2021, 15.4 lakh students appeared for the exam and 8.7 lakh students qualified.
  • Also the number of private medical institutions is nearly the same as the government institutions.
    • 50% of the total seats are available at affordable fees in Government colleges.
    • And another 50% of the seats in the private sector must charge only the government college fees as mandated by NMC
    • This suggests that only about 65,000 seats are available with an affordable fee structure.
  • Also, the institutions are not evenly distributed across the country.
    • States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have a high number of colleges.

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Cost factor

  • An MBBS degree in a Government college would cost upto a few lakhs but in private colleges, it might cost up to ₹1 crore for the five-year course.
  • In case it is a management seat, donation charges raise the cost of studying in private colleges further by several lakhs.
  • Considering this the cost of studying medicine in India is significantly high.
  • A medical course at foreign universities in the east and eastern Europe costs far less.
    • Students who returned from Ukraine said that they spent about ₹30lakh-₹40 lakhs, including lodging and boarding.

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Other factors

  • A majority of the students who returned to India from Ukraine had attempted NEET at least twice, and only decided to move after they could not get an MBBS seat.
    • On return, the requirement is to pass a Foreign Medical Graduates Examination, a licensure examination held for students who have studied medicine abroad.
  • Experts feel that the disparities in income of doctors, and others, like nurses, is also a major reason for making an MBBS degree attractive In India.
  • The ability to practise as a doctor, in Government and private sectors simultaneously, and the scope of earning a life-long income are also strong incentives.

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Way forward

  • The Prime Minister has highlighted the need for setting up more private medical colleges in India to help more people to take up medical courses.
    • Experts opine that it is a flawed approach.
    • If the objective is to make medicine more accessible and affordable in the country, the path ahead is not in the private sector, but in the public sector.
  • Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana has been successful in expanding facilities for quality medical education in the country and more such policies should be introduced.
  • The governments can set up more medical institutions, as recommended by NITI Aayog, by using the district headquarters hospitals and expanding the infrastructure.
    • This will benefit the aspirants from the lower and middle socio-economic classes.

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