Ukraine-returned students should continue studies here: OPS urges Modi

CHENNAI: AIADMK coordinator and former chief minister O Panneerselvam on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advise the National Medical Commission to relax the relevant guidelines to enable the Ukraine-returned MBBS students to continue their studies in the medical colleges in India.

Appreciating for brining back all Indians from Ukraine under the evacuation missions 'Operation Ganga', the AIADMK leader, in a letter to Modi, said "You are well aware that more than 14,000 Indian medical students enrolled in various universities of Ukraine and have returned to India and they have been passing through severe stress and nervousness due to their uncertain future".

Stating that of the 14,000 students, nearly 1,900 students belong to Tamil Nadu, Panneerselvam said the fate of Indian medical students rescued from war-hit Ukraine hangs in the balance.

"They have spent lakhs of rupees with a hope that they will become doctor,” he said adding that now they have been left in the wobble.

Claiming that the students have returned to India with the hope that the government at the Centre will make adequate arrangements to pursue their studies in India, the AIADMK coordinator said parents are more worried about the uncertainty of their children and they are of the firm belief that thone could find a solution to this problem.

Pointing out that the National Medical Commission has allowed the Ukraine-returned MBBS students to complete their mandatory 12-month internship in India provided that they have cleared the foreign medical graduate examination before applying for such internship in India, the AIADMK leader said "On account of this, the total number of affected students came down to approximately 12,000".

He said it was understood that according to the guidelines of the National Medical Commission those students who qualify for the NEET examination alone can get admission into the medical colleges in India. "This is an obstacle for Ukraine-returned MBBS students to get admission in Indian medical colleges".

"I, therefore, request you to kindly intervene in this matter urgently and advise the National Medical Commission to relax the relevant guidelines, as a special case, so as to enable the Ukraine-returned MBBS students to continue their studies in medical colleges in India", he added.

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