Bitter pill, again 

News: As the situation in Ukraine has worsened, some 20,000-odd students who had gone to Ukraine for medical education have returned back. 

However, one big question is how they’ll continue their interrupted education, especially if the Ukraine crisis doesn’t ease in the near term.   

What leads to students opting for foreign education esp. medical education? 

The foreign degree options are extremely affordable. 

There is a huge demand-supply problem in India that is some 16 lakh students take NEET for only 90,000-odd seats.  

What is the way forward? 

India needs to expand its medical education, which will immensely benefit its students and health care system. 

Although the common licensing exam for all MBBS graduates that’s scheduled to start in 2023 is a positive step, but there is need for newer medical colleges with quality faculty, hospital linkages and other high-grade resources. 

Source: This post is based on the article “Bitter pill, again” published in Times of India on 5th Mar 2022.