Students from Kerela pursuing Medicine in China, who have been stranded here since the pandemic broke out, have recently approached the Kerela High Court for help. A parents’ association has moved the High Court on April 12, 2022, to issue a directive allowing the students to finish their practical and clinical training in India.
The group that approached the court consisted of 92 parents and some students as well. The Kerela Medical Council (KMC) had earlier refused to permit these med students to pursue further studies in India. This has everyone concerned about the future of these students.
The concerned parents and students have sought a directive allowing the students to pursue their practical training either in Kerela or any other state in India. The issue has been ongoing for a long time now, since China has closed its borders for these medical students. A meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had borne no fruits in October 2021. The KMC has also denied granting the provisional registration certificates to the students who had completed their Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE).
Jayalakshmi, an aspiring med student clarifies that the KMC has granted provisional registrations to those who had completed their studies in June for six months. “After six months, they will have to reapply for the registration. However, the ones who completed their studies in December 2021 are being denied even this provisional registration,” she added.
The students are now waiting for the verdict of the Kerela High Court. “It is literally a clueless situation,” said Jayalakshmi. “The future of 20,000 students is in trouble,” said Alka Krishnan, another student, adding, “We expect our government to help us, but so far no decision has been favouring us." Snehal PS piped in, “I wouldn’t say that the NMC hasn’t done anything at all. The NMC has made provisions like One India One Registration and brought parity. The provision existing in Kerela that students had to pay Rs 1,20, 000 per year to complete their internships has also been scrapped. The NMC has given a notice that all medical graduates will receive a uniform stipend. But these provisions are little helping us.” He added, “It is not our fault. We went to China because we couldn’t afford to waste one more year in India preparing for the entrances and also couldn’t afford private medical colleges...And it is not only us. Students who returned from Ukraine and the Philippines are also facing a similar situation."
The recent move comes after days of uncertainty over the future of these students. “We have contacted every politician. Some of them are even helping us. But the Central Government isn’t responding,” Snehal said and added, “We have also written our grievances to the CMO, but there has been no response."
Snehal further said that private medical colleges are ready to accommodate them, but need the approval of the National Medical Council. “There are also many other ways through which our problems can be solved. We are ready to pay extra money for our practical training. We are ready to take transfers from our Chinese universities to Indian colleges. FMGs (Foreign Medical Graduates) are also ready to write extra exams if necessary. But the Centre needs to give its approval and make it happen. It is just not doing so, and has been neglecting the issue" he said.
A fact to note here is that most of the Indian students who returned from China are from Wuhan. And most of them have finished their medical studies. There are also some students who are currently studying in their second and third years in Chinese medical colleges, but they are attending online classes and are lacking in practical and clinical training.
But the ones who have completed their studies are struggling to take up their one-year internship, without which they won’t be able to establish their medical practices. “Nothing is clear,” Snehal said, “Only those students who have passed can approach for clinical training. There is no clarity about the provisions for 2017-18 batches.”
“My own country isn’t supporting me. But the country in which I am pursuing my education is quite supporting,” Snehal stated. He also adds that depression and anxiety has led him to make this statement, because he feels that the Indian government has been quite apathetic to their cause. “They brought us back through the Vande Bharat Mission. But now, nothing has been done for our future education. What the government seems to pose as a solution for our problems is returning to China. We are fine with it, but China has to open its borders too,” he said.
Commenting on the whole situation, Dr Rajesh Rajan, President of the Association of MD Physicians, said, “We have seen that Indian students who are in foreign countries have suffered because of the pandemic. Many students are stranded because of locked national and international borders, and we support their cause."
As for the provisions that ought to be made by the Central Government, he opined that it is not very easy to formulate these provisions. “There are some practical difficulties to be considered. As the curriculum and assessments vary from country to country, accommodating these students in Indian colleges will be difficult. A suitable body has also to be selected to assess the quality of the education of these students. There is a question over who will constitute this body, which will be the authority to do so and who will be in charge of conducting exams for these students,” he explained.
The Foreign Medical Graduates Parents' Association (FMGPA) has also been politically active over these prevailing issues. The FMGPA doesn't want to approach the court though. "The court will give decisions provided on the basis of existing laws. But COVID-19 is a recent phenomenon and there no laws regarding that. So, there cannot be any satisfactory decisions taken in courts," said Md Sageer, the Joint Secretary of FMGPA. He explained further, "Court cases have already been filed and they tend to put the students in a bad light, as they go against the government."
However, the FMGPA is planning other methods to help the students. "We are planning to have a parents' group in all states. We are also planning a gathering in Delhi. Already memorandums have been sent to all political parties," he stated.
"We also understand that there is a difficulty in getting all the 23,0000 stranded students admitted into Indian colleges. But we are only asking the NMC to allow them to continue their clinical and practical training. Though we do not favour approaching the court, we are waiting for what the Kerela High Court has to say," he adds.
