While boarding his flight back to India from Ukraine, As hok Kumar, a final year medi cal student at Uzzhorod Na tional Medical University (UzhNU), Uzzhorod, Ukraine, met representatives from Hungary, who were distribu ting pamphlets inviting me dical students to continue their education in the count ry. Though the offer came as a momentary relief, Ashok knows that the uncertainty is far from over.
The Polish government has also announced that Indian students from Ukraine can continue their education at local medical colleges. Students will be able to resume their education from the point where they had to leave Ukraine due to the war. Final year medical students feel conflicted about the way for ward for them.
Difficult call
Ashok says while this has of fered students a much-nee ded breather, they are loo king at wasting at least six months in their educational and professional journey.
Explaining, Avnish Sharma, another final year medical student from UzhNU, sa ys, "I am in my final semester, set to end in April 2022. In normal circumstances, I would finish my mandatory licensing exam of KROK 2, along with the result declaration by July 2022. I would be eligible to take the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) in December. This will get me the license to be a medical practitioner in India. "Those in the final se mester will have to spend ad ditional six months to finish it in some other country. "It is only post completion of the final semester that we will be able to take FMGE," adds Avnish. Ashok adds that if the situation in Ukraine does not normalise soon, students may have to appear for the Screening test of FMGE in Ju ne 2023. "As per the National Medical Council Bill 2019, the National Exit Test (NEXT) will soon serve as a screening test for foreign medical graduates. If the first NEXT is held in June 2023, apart from wasting a year, we will be ta king an exam for which we have to start preparation from scratch," he says.
"We have been told we can restart our education from the point where we are leaving it in Ukraine. The transfers will be free-of-cost and students need to pay on ly tuition fees," says Ashok.
Published on :- Times of India
Date :- 07 03 2022
