Govt evasive on admitting 20K Ukraine returnees to colleges

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, March 29

The government on Tuesday avoided a direct response to a Parliament question about the accommodation of over 20,000 Ukraine returned Indian students in medical colleges across the country.

Cites lack of data

• Minister of State for Health Bharati Pawar says in Parliament that data of students going abroad to pursue MBBS not maintained centrally
• Reply came on a query if the govt planned to admit students against vacant medical seats in the country
• Ukraine returnees are attending online MBBS classes their teachers are taking from Poland and Romania where they have migrated

Answering a written query by former Indian Medical Association chief and sitting TMC MP Santanu Sen, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pawar sufficed to mention that the National Medical Commission had permitted students, unable to intern abroad due to Covid-19 or war-like situations (read Ukraine), to complete their internships in India.

Sen’s question had three parts — the number of students who returned from Ukraine and were enrolled in medical courses there; the number of total vacant medical seats in India, including 2nd, 3rd and 4th-year seats, course-wise and academic term-wise and whether government plan to accommodate these students in the vacant medical seats in the country. In her answer, the minister said data on Indians going abroad to pursue MBBS was not maintained centrally. The minister evaded a direct response to the specific query on whether the government planned to admit students against vacant medical seats in the country.

Responding to another question, Pawar said the NMC had validated and approved online theory classes for MBBS students during Covid period, supplemented by practical and clinical training as per current curriculum in all MBBS subjects in colleges/ institutions.

Several Ukraine-returned students are currently attending online MBBS classes, which their teachers are taking from Poland, Romania, where they have migrated, and even from safety bunkers in the war-hit country.

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