Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh. (PTI/File)Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh is set to approach the Union government on ways to accommodate Ukraine-returned Indian medical students in colleges across Maharashtra.
“Many students have returned to their homes in Maharashtra from Ukraine. We will approach the central government to accommodate these students in medical colleges of Maharashtra so that they do not suffer academic loss,” Deshmukh tweeted, adding that the matter was discussed during a meeting on Wednesday with NCP chief Sharad Pawar in presence of senior officials from the medical education department.
A department official said that such students are currently being provided stopgap relief through different initiatives launched by the Maharashtra University of Health Science (MUHS) in the state. “But the Union government has the power to decide whether Ukraine-returned students can be accommodated in medical colleges in India,” the official added.
In March, Deshmukh had asked MUHS to look into the possibility of inducting Ukraine-returned students in the state medical colleges. However, the MUHS had recommended a stopgap arrangement, in which online learning modules and practical training options would be extended to such medical students until they return to Ukraine.
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Thursday’s tweet by the minister, meanwhile, has caused panic among medical students. “Accommodating Ukraine-returned students in Indian medical colleges will be a great injustice towards those in India who could not pursue medical education because of low marks in NEET,” said a parent.
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