Don't land in the Dock

Once one decides to step abroad for medical studies, the journey of doubt and uncertainty begins. Apart from incurring the expense and inconvenience of studying and living abroad for arduous five to six years, medical students are also worried about whether their qualifications will be valid in India after course completion. Which colleges are recognised and accredited, can I work in India after course completion, hope my consultant is not fleecing me! These are some of the doubts that assail aspiring students as they fumble in the dark for a career in medicine.

Where to go    

So much has been changing in the medical education and visa regulation front of different countries that it has become quite difficult to zero in on one safe option. Russia, which in the 1980s was the most preferred country for Indians to pursue medicine,
   still holds sway among Indians despite all the political and economic upheaval. Though USA and UK are the clear favourites and are surely the best bet, obtaining a degree from there is not easy. If USA and Australia have been perceived as expensive, UK’s stringent visa procedures, changes in the Highly Skilled Migrant Program (HSMP) in the aftermath of the recent London bomb blasts have all made matters worse. Students are therefore desperately seeking cheaper and easier destinations. As a result, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Romania and Belarus and now even Mauritius have jumped on to the medical education bandwagon, claiming to be more cost effective than other destinations. Indeed at a maximum fee of Rs six lakhs for a five year course, inclusive of all living expenses, these countries are very affordable.
But what about the quality of education? With loads of options and little very little information to rely on, students can verify the credibility of universities abroad only through word of mouth. While some study abroad consultants advise that it’s best to go by the list given out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) list, an official of the Medical Council of India (MCI), who doesn’t wish to be named says, “There is no way even the MCI can know what facilities these colleges actually offer. Anyway, whether a university abroad is recognised or not, a student who wants to practice in India with a foreign degree must first sit for the screening test prescribed by the MCI and conducted by the National Board of Examinations.”
Consultants also advocate a ‘play it safe’ mode. “Medicine is a professional course and when students spend so much time and money over six years, it’s best to go through the norms prescribed by the MCI,” advises P S Raju, regional manager, Study Abroad Educational Consultants.
However, before students choose a destination, they should check whether that college/course confirms to that nation’s policy of accreditation and also verify its history, location, faculty student ratio, placement record and, in case of European countries, also the crime rate of the city the college is located in.

Chinese juggernaut

In fact all the confusion suddenly sprang into prominence when an army of Indian students marched to China in 2004 to pursue their under-graduation
in medicine. “For some reason, even the number
of Chinese universities that offered medicine increased from a mere five in 2004 to about 35 – 40
in 2007. And one would be surprised to know that
out of 5000 Indians who are studying in China today, about 1500 to 2000 are from Andhra Pradesh
alone,” says V R Ram, chief executive, Medico
Abroad.
   Yet Chinese universities have received flak from nearly everyone – consultants, the MCI, students, bank managers and medical experts – who allege that Chinese medical universities offer poor quality education and do not have English speaking faculty. Loans to study in China were sanctioned more often under the table, and not openly, because banks don’t want to risk lending money to students whose future course of action and earning potential is uncertain. What if the student doesn’t pass the MCI screening test? Recognition of colleges is another issue students are concerned about. In this regard, the MCI has released a list of 24 Chinese universities that it has awarded an Eligibility Certificate to. For a list of institutes in China, see www.mciindia.org/tools/prelease/eligibility.htm
   While on one hand the low tuition fee and living expenses attract Indian students, universities in China have in turn made attempts to raise the standard of education and living conditions, but at the cost of increasing fee to roughly $ 5500 US per annum. While some consultants expect the China trend to continue despite the hike, others argue that Indian students will soon find other cheaper destinations.
   However, the real worth of Chinese universities will be visible when Indian students graduate in 2009-10 and their performance in MCIs screening test is gauged.

New frontiers    

Experts say there is no need to press the panic button; other European countries are also in the fray, though their quality is yet to be proven. Some European universities are tying up with reputed medical colleges in USA. Nevertheless, students must beware that universities abroad are not permitted to open campuses in India or offer twinning programmes here.
   Experts suggest alternate routes that Indian students may follow, the most popular being non-clinical courses. Medicos are increasingly exploring public health and health care management as prospects that are brighter both abroad and in India. Australia and Canada are also promoting various diplomas and advance diplomas in employment-oriented courses for lab technology, dental hygiene, sports medicine etc. Pharmacy, physiotherapy, research programmes, biotechnology and bio-informatics are other fields that medical aspirants can consider in order to avoid the uncertainty that goes with studying medicine 
abroad. In fact, several students are heading to USA to do their Masters in Public Health and at the same time preparing to crack United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
   So don’t get jittery before you opt for your university abroad because if you have done your research right and are a good student then your dreams will surely get realised.

MCI Guidelines for Foreign Medical Studies by Indian students


Eligibility criteria
Any Indian student intending to join MBBS course in a foreign medical university needs to fulfil the following eligibility criteria

 

Attaining 17 years of age as on December 31 of applying year Passing 10 +2 or equivalent Biology, Physics and Chemistry (BiPC) should have been studied as group subjects English should have been studied as a subject Obtained 50 percent marks in the aggregate (40 percent for BC/SC/ST students)

Procedure prescribed for licensing by MCI    

Student must submit an application to MCI in the prescribed format before leaving for studies in a foreign medical university. He or she will be disclosing the university name and also enclose the relevant education documents (10th, 10 +2) and community certificate, if any. The MCI sends its approval to pursue the foreign medical degree directly to the student in the form of an ` Eligibility Certificate' after necessary verifications on the information and documents enclosed by the student
   After the student returns to India with the foreign medical degree, he or she needs to attend the Screening Test, which is compulsory and conducted by the National Board of Examinations at the instance of the MCI. Only those who obtain the Eligibility Certificate’ can sit for this test
   On clearing the screening test, the student will be awarded a provisional registration certificate of the MCI and the clearance will bring the student's foreign degree on par with an MBBS degree in India
   Subsequently, Indian students who have cleared the Screening Test will have to follow all rules and procedures that apply to those doing their MBBS course, such as completing a compulsory one-year house surgeon term Only after completion of the term, students will be allotted a permanent registration (license) by MCI, which will enable them to practice as a Doctor in India.
   
Migration isn’t easy    

In India, students can migrate from one medical college to another medical college only if the MCI permits them to do so. Basically MCI discourages migration, but does consider exceptional cases, that too on extreme compassionate grounds. Besides, the college where the applicant is currently studying and where migration is being sought must both be recognised by the MCI. To be eligible for migration, the candidate must have passed the first professional examination and must also submit his complete application to all authorities concerned within one month of passing the first professional MBBS examination.
   Similar regulations apply to students in foreign universities too. However, most students do not know that before they migrate to a new university, they should submit an affidavit stating that they will pursue 18 months of prescribed study before appearing at the second professional MBBS examination at the transferee medical college. The transfer will be applicable only after the receipt of the affidavit.
   Though universities abroad permit migrations for revenue purposes, the MCI stand on this quite clearly states that colleges cannot allow migrations directly. Hence all applications are to be referred to the council by college authorities. The council has the final say in accepting or rejecting an application and has the right to reject one in the absence of a real compassionate ground. Death of a supporting guardian, illness of the candidate amounting to disability and disturbed conditions as declared by the Government in the medical college area, are the basic criteria of compassionate grounds.