Watch | Is there a crisis in the Indian medical education system?

A video explainer on the reasons behind Indian students going abroad to pursue medicine and how can medical education be made more accessible to aspirants in the country.

The Russia-Ukraine War has turned the spotlight on a deep-rooted problem back home: the Indian medical education system. According to estimates, over 20,000 Indians, including around 18,000 students, were in Ukraine. Going by interviews with students who have returned, many of them were pursuing medicine.

For about three decades, Indian students have been heading to Russia, China, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and the Philippines to pursue a medical degree. In India, an MBBS degree can cost a few lakhs of rupees in a government college while in private medical colleges, this amount can go up to ₹1 crore for the five-year course.

In comparison, an MBBS degree at a foreign medical university in the east and eastern Europe costs far less. Upon return, the students are required to clear the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination, a licensure examination and a house surgency stint.