Explained: Why medical universities in Ukraine attract Indian students in big numbers

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to panic and fear in the hearts of thousands of parents in India as their children are left stranded in a country where air raid sirens are being sounded out and bombs and missiles are being dropped by the Russian forces.

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The situation became even more precarious when India's efforts to evacuate its citizens from the conflict zone suffered a major jolt after Ukraine closed its airspace.Let’s try to understand why Ukraine has such a big number of Indian students studying medicine, what are the advantages of studying in Ukraine and what is happening to them right now.Indian students in UkraineUkraine's ministry of education and science reported that in 2020, 24 per cent of its overseas students were from India.The top 10 countries of origin of international students in Ukraine are India, Morocco, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, China, Turkey, Egypt, Israel and Uzbekistan.The Indian Embassy in Ukraine states that currently there are more than 18,000 students studying medical or engineering in the country.It has been reported that the most sought-after medical school in Ukraine is Kharkiv National Medical University, situated around 480 km from capital Kyiv.Notably, Kharkiv was one of the first places where Russia launched its attack.Why medicine in Ukraine?As mentioned earlier, most of the Indian students in Ukraine study medicine.Quartz India reports that for students struggling to secure seats in government colleges or pay the high fees at private institutions in India, Ukrainian medical colleges are a boon. The colleges in Ukraine are cheaper — fees for MBBS in Ukraine can vary from $3,500 to $5000 (Rs 2.65 lakh to Rs 3.8 lakh) per year which is affordable for the Indian students — and the education standards are high.Reports state that Ukraine ranks fourth in Europe for having the largest number of graduate and post-graduate specialisations in the field of medicine.Also, all of its universities are accredited by the World Health Organization and UNESCO. Apart from this, Ukrainian medical degrees are also recognised by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, European Council of Medicine and General Medical Council of the United Kingdom.Another reason why Indian students opt for Ukraine to study medicine is that they aren't required to clear any entrance test to get admission to medical universities.Students also say that as the medium language of instruction is English, it is easy for them and they don’t have to worry about learning a foreign language, which they would have to if it was another country.What’s their current condition?Students in Ukraine allege that they have been left stranded and without any help since the attacks by Russia.On Thursday, several of them made desperate appeals to the government to facilitate their safe return.Several of the students are now taking shelter in metro stations, as they could serve as bomb shelters.In one video as reported by NDTV, an Indian student is heard requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to make swift arrangements to evacuate Indians. The student, Manish Jaiswal, is studying medicine in Ukraine and is from UP's Ballia."We feel helpless. Three-four bombs have struck the city since morning. We are running low on supplies. Air routes are closed. I request Narendra Modi ji and Yogi Adityanath ji to make arrangements for evacuation of Indians as soon as possible," Jaiswal said in the video shot in his apartment. He did not mention which city in Ukraine he is staying.In a video sent by another Indian student, people are seen sitting on the floors of an underground metro train station. Nilesh Jain, who is studying in western Ukraine's Ternopil, said they have been stuck at the metro station for nearly 30 hours."The internet connection is not good. We can hear bombs exploding. Please help us. I appeal to PM Modi ji to evacuate us from here quickly," Jain said.News agency PTI reported that many of the students were not able to exchange their currency as Ukrainian stores have stopped trading dollars.Aprit Katiyar, an Indian student in Kharkiv, was quoted as telling Al Jazeera, "We don’t know what to do. We appeal to the Indian government to rescue us as soon as possible.”Why didn’t they leave earlier?Many have questioned why the students didn’t leave Ukraine earlier as per the advisories issued by the Indian embassy prior to the invasion on Thursday.Students in Ukraine said that it wasn’t as easy owing to the exorbitant costs of plane tickets.One student had told Times of India that he had booked his ticket for India at a cost of Rs 20,000, but that skyrocketed to Rs 60,000.Monika, a resident of Chhattisgarh and a fifth-year MBBS student, first took a flight from Kyiv to Doha and then returned to Delhi. According to her, air tickets were quite expensive due to which she came to India taking other flights.Another medical student in Ukrainian capital Kyiv was quoted as telling News18, "Travel agents are exploiting the situation to mint money. We don’t have so much money. The news of this Russian-Ukraine conflict actually gave them an opportunity to push flight ticket booking charges citing the troubled situation over here, what can we do? We cannot afford this."What now?India's foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla assured all Indian citizens, including students, in Ukraine and their family members that the government would take all possible steps to bring them back safe and sound.News agency ANI reported that the Ministry of External Affairs was sending teams to the land borders with Ukraine in Hungary, Poland, Slovak Republic and Romania to assist the evacuation of Indian nationals.“To assist in the evacuation of Indian nationals from Ukraine, MEA Teams from @IndiaInHungary, @IndiainPoland, @IndiaInSlovakia and @eoiromania are on their way to the adjoining land borders with Ukraine,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.Partha Satpathy, Ambassador of India in Ukraine, said that the embassy in Kyiv would continue to operate till every Indian is evacuated.“The Embassy of India in Kiev continues to operate round the clock 24X7. Today morning we woke up with the news that Kiev is under attack, the whole of Ukraine is under attack. This has generated a lot of anxiety, uncertainty, and created tension. I would like to assure all of you that the Embassy of India continues to operate around the clock looking out for the safety and security of Indians here,” he said.He further urged people to stay calm, level-headed and take necessary safety and precautions.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.