Can't accommodate medicos from Ukraine, Centre tells SC

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 15

The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that Indian medical students forced to return from Ukraine due to the Russia-Ukraine war can’t be given admission in Indian medical colleges in the absence of any provision in the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act allowing such accommodation.

Allowing such relaxation will hamper the standards of medical education in India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in an affidavit filed in the top court.

The affidavit has been filed in response to petitions filed by Indian medical students evacuated from Ukraine seeking permission to continue their further studies in India.

A Bench led by Justice Hemant Gupta — which had on August 26 issued notice to the Centre and NMC on the petition — deferred the hearing to Friday after the Centre’s counsel said an affidavit has been filed by the Health Ministry. Maintaining that the petitioner students went to foreign countries due to poor NEET ranking and affordability, the Centre said allowing poor merit students in premier medical colleges in India can lead to further litigation. They won’t be able to afford the fee structure of medical colleges in India, it said.

The Centre said it had taken proactive measures to assist students evacuated from Ukraine, balancing the need to maintain the requisite standard of medical education.

Any further relaxation would also seriously hamper the standards of medical education in the country, the affidavit stated.

Citing the extraordinary situation created by the Russia-Ukraine war that impeded their education, the petitioners said they were going through immense mental hardship and agony since their entire education and career had virtually come to a standstill with no foreseeable restoration of peace in the war-torn country.

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