New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave Centre six weeks to formulate an academic plan for Indian students who pursued their medical education abroad but were forced to come back home in the final year of their studies after the covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine
Last month, an apex court bench led by Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath asked the Centre to organise an expert committee to find a solution for nearly 20,000 foreign medical students who were unable to complete their studies due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine war.
The Supreme Court had previously stated that the majority of the students had completed their courses but had not been able to complete their clinical training.
However, the Centre stated that foreign students cannot be accommodated in Indian medical colleges because there is no provision in the National Medical Commission (NMC) law to transfer any foreign medical students to any Indian medical institute or university.
While the Court directed the Centre to consider only students in their final year of study, several other students who returned to India in their first and second years of MBBS programmes abroad also petitioned the Court to be included in the zone of consideration.
In the past, the Center and NMC have expressed to the Court their concerns about expanding the programme beyond the final year group. They contend that practical/clinical training is crucial in a medical programme. The colour of practical training cannot be reflected in academic research.
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