| Medical education in foreign countries has come as a boon for many for whom the doors have been closed in India |
If Telugu children are not admitted in a medical college the tendency among the peers and relatives is to brand them as not-so-intelligent. In a State where parents’ only dream is to see their wards in medical colleges to gain respect in the society, the huge gap between demand and supply has always been worrying. For the one-lakh odd candidates who try their luck not more than 3,000 realise their dreams.
But the scenario has been changing. Pursuing medical education abroad, if the doors are closed in India, is no longer the prerogative of rich children. Medical education in foreign countries has come as a boon for the middle-class parents who just could not afford the exorbitant fee structure in private colleges.
If it was the erstwhile USSR that caught the attention in the 90s, this decade has opened more options for them in the form of China. With more than 6,000 Indian students and of them nearly 50 per cent of them from Andhra Pradesh, the medical degree from across the Great Wall is in great demand after the medium of instruction was changed to English.
Medical colleges in Russia too continue to attract on their proven track record and the low fee structure. While management seats in India cost no less than Rs. 40 lakhs in some colleges, a Chinese or Russian package comes at Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 15 lakhs, inclusive of entire course tuition fee, hostel fee and living expenses.
“The quality of medical education in China is world class and students need not have any apprehensions,” says S. Jaipaul Reddy, Managing Director, St. Joseph’s Consultants Pvt Ltd that admits students to nearly 15 Chinese Medical Universities.
Better equipped
According to Mr. Reddy Chinese medical colleges are better equipped then most of Indian medical colleges with Government spending $2 billion for 50 selected Government medical universities to make them best in the world by 2011.
Agrees V. Rajaram of Medico Abroad that sends aspiring medicos to five medical universities.
“The attraction is not just lower fee but the hassle free admission procedures and followed up guidance of students,” he says.
“It makes sense as students can concentrate on studies,” Mr. Rajaram says. Parents are constantly informed about their wards’ academic records and the life there.
“Hostels for foreign students are built with three-star facilities within the campus thus assuring safety,” he says.
MCI team visit
The visit of a team from Medical Council of India (MCI) last month to Chinese medical institutions can be seen as an indication of growing importance of Chinese medical education.
The team studied the infrastructure also interacted with Indian students to get a first hand feel of the situation.
With regard to Russia, Ravichandran, Managing Director of Chennai-based Study Abroad says, “Russian educated Indian students are practicing successfully world over. We alone sent 2,500 students so far.”
MCI has recognised nine medical universities in Russia apart from other erstwhile USSR countries and of these eight offer English medium instruction.
Students seeking admission in foreign medical colleges necessarily have to register with the Medical Council of India (MCI) giving details of the university and personal.
Without that certificate they would not be allowed to appear for the Screening Test after coming back to India.
he test is mandatory for every foreign educated Indian medico to get registered for practice in India.
Validity
In India, the MBBS course is of four-and-a-half-years duration excluding the one-year compulsory house surgeon term to be completed by them after obtaining the degree.
However, in case of students pursuing MBBS from China, duration of study is not specified.
MCI considers the following criteria in determining validity of degree.
The undergraduate medical degree being pursued should be equivalent to the MBBS degree in India.
The degree must be recognised by respective Ministry of Education of the Provincial or Central Government.
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