In his sixth year of medical school at Zaporizhzhia State Medical University in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Vivek is confronted with a number of difficult choices. He now faces having to retake a year at a foreign medical institution while paying the additional expenses that would be required because the Ukraine war delayed his medical education and did so at such a vital juncture. Vivek was already enrolled in school on a loan. It will also be challenging to get admission in a foreign country. The application and credit-transfer processes were delayed because the Indian government took so long to make a decision regarding these pupils. These kids are now missing out on online programs that started because of COVID, which will have an impact on their credit transcripts.
There is a delay in the release of transcripts. Nakul, a different student, claimed that he and several others had requested transcripts in June but hadn’t yet received them. The contractors are serving as our guardians under the law. The vice-rector of the institution also serves as our contractor, he said. He is one of about 25 students who are each paying a lawyer USD 230 to get them out of the issue and get their transcripts.
These students cannot be admitted to Indian medical institutes, according to the Indian government. On September 6, the body that oversees medical education gave permission for students to transfer to other nations to finish their degrees. It listed the medical schools and universities in 15 countries on September 15, including Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Slovakia, Spain, Uzbekistan, the United States, Italy, Belgium, Egypt, Belarus, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan, Greece, Romania, Sweden, Israel, Iran, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Turkey, Croatia, and Hungary.
MBBS fees, schedule problem
There is only one year left for Vivek. After taking out loans, he had fully paid for his MBBS tuition. Moving to another nation and enrolling at a different university will cost a lot of money. The actual date of the final exam is currently unknown. Everything, even routine schedules, has changed as a result of Covid and the conflict, according to Vivek.
A student receives 60 credit points for finishing a year without missing any lessons under the European credit transfer system. At the conclusion of six years, this amounts to 360 credit points. “But the majority of us have missed some classes due to a variety of reasons, and they will deduct 30 points for that. We have 270 points, which means we would have to repeat the fifth year, the speaker continued, adding that the transfer would cost between Rs 10 and 12 lakh. Our families are from the middle class. According to reports, Ukraine, which offers a six-year MBBS curriculum, will hold the final exams for Vivek’s class in May 2023.
Because of the incongruent schedules, he worries he might not be able to participate in even an internship in India. The NMC had stated in July that final-year students who received their degrees on a specific date could continue their two-year internship in India. The Supreme Court is currently deliberating the matter, and tomorrow, September 23, is the next hearing.
MBBS admission and transcripts
Additionally, Vivek claims he needs his transcripts from the Zaporizhzhia State Medical University semesters he has already finished in order to move abroad. He anticipated that as a final-year student, he would be able to finish a few more months of his schooling in India. In September, many of the universities ended their online courses. The first day of regular classes was September 1. We are not able to be admitted anywhere till we receive the transcripts. Nakul, a fourth-year student, stated, “I am attempting in three countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
The deadline for applicants to universities in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is October 30, 2022. “Because September is coming to an end, we are afraid. Because of the transcript, we shouldn’t miss it, continued Nakul. One possibility is Russia, however there aren’t many MBBS programmes offered there in English. Vivek, however, has made the decision to travel to Uzbekistan or another nation with a comparable pricing system. He’s currently searching for scholarships. He remarked, “We are now moving forward in accordance with the consultancy. “They are suggesting Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the majority of Asian nations, but we are unsure of the worth of our degree in such places. We have to do that because we have no other option.
