Uncertainty looms over future MBBS aspirants amidst the Ukraine-Russia war

As thousands of Indian students fled back home amidst the Ukraine-Russia war, questions around their future have started coming up. While they are still trying to figure out their next move, others who were hoping to study in Russia or Ukraine in the near future are now having to look for alternatives.

According to experts, with the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, the focus of Indian students looking to study medicines abroad is shifting to other countries such as the UK, the Philippines, Nepal, Poland, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, amongst others.

Experts believe the reason behind students choosing to pursue their MBBS or higher degrees from other countries rather than India is simply due to the quality of education being offered abroad at an affordable tuition fee. “Students, who are genuinely interested in becoming a doctor, find MBBS courses more affordable in certain countries abroad in comparison to India,” said Prateek Bhargava, the founder and CEO of Mindler.

“With the level of competition in India, it is almost impossible for every aspiring medical student to find their place, and it’s even more difficult for those students who are unable to crack a higher score in the NEET



examination. Considering the level of competition in India and the exposure an international education can offer, studying medicine abroad has become a major trend since the last decade,” added Bhargava.

Nearly 25,000 students head abroad every year to study medicine and experts say, this number has gradually increased in the last few years. According to data shared by the Union Ministry of Health in the Lok Sabha in December 2021, there are 88,120 Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) seats and 27,498 Bachelors of Dental Surgery (BDS) seats available in India even as more than 16 lakhs candidates registered for the NEET exam last year. The huge gap is a clear indication of the trend that students are choosing to go abroad to study MBBS, Bhargava explained.

Barbara Alexaundria Er, the head of marketing and student enrolment at Manipal University College in Malaysia, also noted that nearly 30 per cent of the MBBS intake is taken up by Indian nationals.

However, those hoping to go to the UK and other European countries should start preparing according to the entry requirements as soon as possible to make sure their admission is approved and they can make good use of their tuition fee.