Life is not easy for students with medical degrees from Ukraine

New Delhi: The majority of students who are unable to pursue a medical education in India—either due to steep cut-offs or because of cost—go to Ukraine, where admission is much more relaxed and cheaper compared to India. However, post their graduation, these students face immense challenges and have to go through a lengthy process to obtain permanent registration to work as doctors in their homeland.
According to the National Medical Commission, 605 medical colleges are teaching MBBS in India, with a total of 90,825 medical seats. Reports state that over 15 lakh students had applied for NEET-UG 2020, indicating that only a small percentage of students meet the criteria to pursue medical degrees in India. The government has expanded the number of medical colleges and seats since 2014, but this has not resulted in a solution. Several students say that their low scores at the NEET entrance examination for medical studies disqualify them from studying in government medical colleges and that the high fees at private universities force them to migrate to countries like Ukraine, where the fees are comparatively lower.
A first-year medical student in Ukraine, Vikas, told The Sunday Guardian, “In India, the cutoff is too high, and medical seats in government institutions are few. Private medical colleges are extremely expensive for a middle-class family, costing around Rs 1 crore, but medical studies can be completed in Ukraine for about Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.”
However, once the students get their degrees and return to India, the real challenge begins. Students with medical degrees can work as doctors in India only after passing a screening test. The Sunday Guardian spoke to a member of the All India Foreign Medical Graduates Association (AIFMGA), who stated, “In Ukraine, the medical fees are quite cheap compared to India. The students can take loans from the national banks, and once they finish their course, they return to India. Then they take the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE). If a foreign graduate passes the test, they can apply for a temporary licence from the Medical Council to work as doctors in India and can pursue one year of internship without stipends. Once they complete their internship, they apply for permanent registration with the Council to work as doctors.”
He further added, “The majority of the students are either from the middle class or upper-middle-class families. Many take out loans, and Indian banks also offer loans based on the mortgage that the parents can provide.”
Another student studying in Ukraine told this correspondent, “I have to take out a loan for next year. Till now, I have spent Rs 6 lakh. For the first year, it was Rs 4.5 lakh, and since everything was online in the second year, it didn’t cost much.” Asked why he chose Ukraine, he said, “Though I scored over 284, I was unable to obtain a seat; at the time, I had enrolled in another college and believed that I would get admission in the following year. When I didn’t get a seat the following year, I opted to go to Ukraine because the fees were low.” Out of 720, one needs to score at least 200 in NEET to study in Ukraine.
The Medical Council of India Screening Test or the MCI Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), is conducted by the National Board of Examination (NBE). To practise in India, Indian students who completed their medical studies in countries such as Ukraine, China, and others must pass the MCI Examination for Foreign Medical Graduates. After completing the MCI examination for Foreign Medical Graduates; students must undergo a mandatory one-year internship in India before applying for permanent registration with the MCI or the State Medical Council.
The FMGE, conducted twice every year, has a low pass percentage. As per data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in June 2020, around 17,198 students had appeared for the test, out of which only 1,999 had qualified. Similarly, in December 2020, only 18,576 students had appeared for the test, but only 3,928 had qualified. Also, in June-2019, out of 12,934 students, only 2,992 qualified, while in December 2019, out of 15,663 students, only 4,444 qualified.
A doctor, on the condition of anonymity, told this newspaper, “Approximately 80% of the students fail the screening test. The majority of students have to sit for the FMGE multiple times to qualify, so you can imagine the kind of education they receive in Ukraine or China.” Because there are no screening tests to get admitted in medical institutions in Ukraine, the merit of the students can be debated.
Also, students must pay processing fees to hospitals for working as interns and for a no-objection letter. Another former student, who completed his medical studies in Ukraine, told this correspondent, “One needs to score 150 out of 300 to qualify in FMGE, then only the student is eligible to pursue an internship for a year in any government or private hospital recognised by the National Board of Examinations. The processing fees depend on the state; for example, in Chandigarh, the fee is nearly Rs 30,000, whereas, in the South, the fee is expensive.”
Similarly, in the UK, one must pass the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB), which checks and ensures the merit of medical students who have received their degrees in Ukraine. Likewise, to seek PG medical residency training in the United States, one must pass the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE). Furthermore, only students who have acquired their medical degrees from universities that are recognised and listed in the International Medical Education and Directory are eligible to take the examination.
Most of the students are unable to pursue their internships in Ukraine as they do not speak the local languages. As a result, the vast majority of students intend to either relocate to an English-speaking country or return home.