As many students from Mumbai and Maharashtra had to return from Ukraine, they are unsure what lies ahead for them. They are looking at academic options to chart their road ahead. This is especially when the Centre and National Medical Council are discussing options of accommodating them in either Indian or abroad medical colleges so that they can complete their course.
Students’ Speak
Mahima Shrivastava from Kharghar, a third-year student from The Bukovinian State Medical University, who left Ukraine in one of the first batches of evacuation arranged by the Indian Embassy, told the Free Press Journal that she was preparing for her KROK-1 examination which is mandatory for all the medical students of Ukraine after finishing the second semester of 3rd year and added that her university had earlier assured of the continuation of exams with ease but as time went by it became clear to them that it will be in limbo considering the circumstances. While uncertainty about how the coming months will pan out remain, Mahima has ideas of her own. “I plan to give Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) when I return to India and I am glad that my university’s evaluation methods are similar to the needs of the Foreign Graduate exams,” added Mahima who plans to complete her post-graduation from India when she completes her MBBS from Ukraine.
Prathamesh Agrawal another student at Bukovinian State Medical University, who hails from Thane, is currently pursuing his third year in MBBS and used to visit India during vacations since he arrived in Ukraine three years ago. Little did he know that a war would make him return to his country for an unspecified period. Ukraine having cheap and quality medical education proved to be the major factor in choosing the country. “I want to do my post-graduation, for which I have my eyes on universities in the U.K., Netherlands, etc,” said Prathamesh who added that he hopes to see a peaceful resolution soon as his main exams in June will determine whether or not he will be able to continue his education in the country.
Gaurav Rathod, who studied at Bukovinian State Medical University in Ukraine, is currently in his third year of MBBS and was about to travel to Kyiv a day before the Russian forces attacked the country. “The change of plans due to the circumstances led us to the Romanian border where we were helped by some members from the Indian community in Ukraine as well as the university officials. We were fortunate enough to leave early as evacuation batches now, consisting of students, have been through a tougher time than us,” said Gaurav who currently resides in Vikhroli. Gaurav, who was in the middle of his sixth semester when he left the country, worries about his KROK-1 exam in June. “Even we gave the practice exams for KROK-1, only 30-40% students were present. One thing that does give me a sense of relief is the fact that during the 2014 Crimea incident, many students who had returned came back to continue with their education,” said Gaurav who aims to give the first step of USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) by the end of his fourth year and then attempt the final step in his sixth year so that he is eligible for pursuing post graduation in the US.
While some waited in anticipation that their name will be featured on the list of students who will be evacuated, Neha Shukla from Powai booked the first ticket available and left Ukraine on February 22nd. The student from Chernivtsi had a layover in Qatar and eventually made her way to Mumbai. “It’s necessary for me to go back to Ukraine despite any possible backlash against Indian students as I am in my third-year and KROK-1 is important for our licensure. We have only one chance of re-attempting the exam,” Neha, who came to Ukraine in September 2019, told FPJ and added that she plans to give National Exit Test (NEXT) when she completes her MBBS in Ukraine while also keeping her eyes on dates of USMLE and PLAB for US and U.K. medical licensure respectively.
Titli Biswas, from Virar, a third-year student of Bukovinian State Medical University in Ukraine, has been pursuing her education in Ukraine for the last three and a half years. But the current situation has made her extremely worried about the future. “We have no idea what our academic future will look like honestly and it's scary. If we fail our main KROK exam, we can be rusticated from our university. Even to be eligible for the examination, we have to give Rector KROK in May to qualify for the same. As the fourth year of our course poses more practical challenges, it’s imperative to give and pass the examination. The war has put that in limbo,” said a concerned Titli who was going to prepare for NEXT and practise Medicine in India but doesn’t see it happening without her MBBS degree.
Himanshu Ingle on the other hand hails from a small city named Parbhani in Maharashtra but has witnessed one of the biggest wars break out and the experience was nothing short of surreal to him. “To see people run for their lives while going through cash shortage, ATM closures, etc. will always make me reminisce about the impact of this war. We reached the Romania border and were lucky enough to get ourselves evacuated in the nick of time,” said Himanshu, a student from Chernivtsi, who is in his third year of the course and was looking forward to his weekly practicals before the main KROK-1 examination by the end of June. “We are looking forward to returning to Ukraine for the continuation of our course but the war has dampened our spirits,” Himanshu,, who wants to attempt Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board(PLAB) test in the UK after his MBBS, told FPJ.
Consultants Say
Abroad consultancy agencies that have encouraged students to take up admissions in Ukraine see a ray of hope for the students despite the war. “As far as challenges to their academics and career opportunities are concerned, it’s a bit too early for the students to figure that out. Regardless, we have never seen students’ education getting affected in the long run earlier too. While students can attend online classes in the next few week, as soon as there is some positive resolution their return to Ukraine will be facilitated,” said Dr. Audhoot Nirgude, from the MD House consultancy agency’s branch in Maharashtra, who added that almost all the students he has interacted with, studying in Ukraine, never had plans to stay back in the country after their MBBS and were always going to return to India and attempt FMGE exam or attempt for universities in US and UK.
Others like Nicy Vinu from Santa Monica Study Abroad, who has constantly been in touch with students and universities in Ukraine, said that it is unpredictable how things are going to be in the coming months but praised the Ukrainian universities for talking about resuming online classes for students and hopes to see students return to the country in the next sixth months or so. “We will have to see if we can accommodate students in universities in Russia, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, etc. if the war escalates as many European countries share the same standards and quality of higher-education qualifications due to the Bologna Process that they are a part of. But that’s a discussion we are yet to have and are hoping to not reach that stage,” said Nicy who added that in a situation where students are not able to come back, there can be a six month gap or the drop of an entire year that can affect them. She further said that though students would be able to take admission in other European countries, tuition fees can pose a problem as Ukraine is relatively much cheaper for a student which is a huge factor in them from India going there.
Medical Faculty think differently
Members of the medical faculty want to see Indian students in Ukraine being able to complete their education from the war-hit country but made it clear that there is no difference between students arriving from Ukraine or India in terms of being well-rounded. “Students in India have more experience in handling and treating patients because of the sheer amount of people in the country. We have had many resident students who have studied from Ukraine and their understanding of medicine is not any different than students who pursued education here,” said Dr. Ashwini Jadhav, a faculty member of Grant Government Medical College and Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals. Dr. Ashwini also said that since NEET is a tough exam to crack, many students are not able to qualify but agree with the evaluation process it encourages.
