Ukraine returnees

THE National Medical Commission (NMC) has come to the aid of Indian MBBS students whose studies in Ukraine were disrupted, forcing them to return home following the Russian invasion in February 2022. In a one-time offer valid for three months, the NMC on Wednesday said the students could migrate to any country to complete their MBBS. It is a continuation of the Academic Mobility Programme of September 2022, allowing foreign medical graduates (FMGs) to complete their course.

Nearly 19,000 Indian students were evacuated from Ukraine last year. While around 2,000 of them, whose colleges are in western Ukraine, have resumed studies in the war-torn country, some others have gone to Russia, Serbia and Georgia to finish their courses. Recently, over 1,000 of the Ukraine returnees were admitted to a medical university in Uzbekistan following the Indian Embassy’s intervention. As per the NMC Act, FMGs can complete their course abroad only in order to be eligible to take the licensure test for practising in India. Initially, the NMC had allowed only those students who were doing internship to complete it in India. In March this year, the government had relaxed norms to let the returnees clear the MBBS final examinations without enrolling in any college, as a one-time measure.

Seeking justice, the beleaguered students had moved the Supreme Court, which heard a batch of petitions. They have also been holding protests since last year. The latest NMC step should finally see the remaining students getting accommodated in some foreign country of their choice. Though they may lose a semester or two, their medical careers are finally getting back on track.

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