The National Medical Council (NMC), the regulatory body for medical education, has taken a stand not to let states decide on accommodating students returned from Ukraine to continue their medical education here.

In an RTI response to Kannur-based health activist Dr Babu KV, the regulatory body said that accommodating foreign medical graduates was under consideration and no other requests will be entertained at the moment.

The decision came in the backdrop of the West Bengal government's controversial decision to allow medical students to attend private medical colleges in the name of "observership".

This means that around 18,000 Indian medical students who returned from war-torn Ukraine, including close to 3,900 who are from Kerala, have to wait till NMC uploads the policy decision on its website.

These students are looking forward to a national-level policy allowing them to continue their education in India. While various state governments have taken an empathetic approach towards the concerns of these students and their parents, the Supreme Court has let the matter be decided by the medical education regulator by June 29.

Before the regulator arrive at policy intervention, the West Bengal government allowed 394 students to undergo "observership" in different private medical colleges in the state from June 1. The West Bengal government had appealed to the NMC to accommodate the students to ensure their continuation of education.

"The observership was illegal and could set a precedent in other states. NMC is playing down the decision of the West Bengal government on observership," said Dr Babu.