Indian nationals upon their arrival at the IGI Airport by an Air India flight from Ukraine amid rising Russia-Ukraine tension, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo) The prohibitive cost of medical education, especially in private sector, is what pushes Indians to pursue MBBS in Ukraine, says a doctor who secured his degree from the country currently facing the onslaught of Russian invasion.
Dr Sukhmandeep Singh Dhillon, a Punjab resident who returned to India in 2020 after completing his MBBS in Ukraine sought to shut the critics who have been raising questions over Indians going to that country to pursue an education in medicine.
“In Ukraine, the fee for those pursuing MBBS comes to Rs 2.5 lakh- Rs 3 lakh per annum. In India, private colleges charge more than five times that amount. Moreover, it is a 6-year course in Ukraine and in Europe, degree holders need to clear 2-3 exams to start working,” says Dhillon who had gone to Ukraine in 2014.
To secure admission in an MBBS course in Ukraine, an Indian student only needs to qualify NEET. “After landing there, a student need to appear for a written test and based on the rank secured, gets admission in medical colleges in the different parts of the country. I studied at Kharkiv National Medical University, which is a more than 200 years old,” said Dhillon who hails from Tarn Taran. After returning to India, he was looking to pursue post-graduation (MD) in the US but as farmers began agitation against the now revealed central agri laws, he decided to stay put at Tikri border of Delhi and work at hospital set up by New-Jersey based cardiologist Dr Swaimaan Singh. Dhillon also contested the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls as as SSM candidate from Tarn Taran.
Dhillon remembers how Russian students too used to come to Ukraine for studies. Two of his juniors, Suchet Kumar from Jalandhar and Navkiran Singh from Nakodar, are among the hundreds of Indian students taking shelter at an underground metro station in Kharkiv. “I spoke to them and wish they return home safely.”
Dhillon said apart from affordable education, even the cost of living is not too high in Ukraine. “Many people are asking why Indian students went to study abroad. Why would anyone go if they get an affordable education and better life in India,” he asked.
“Perhaps the local authorities were not aware that things would escalate so fast. I wish they had been more serious about international students at least. Now, we can only pray that things settle down soon and peace prevails,” he added.
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