Odisha MP Plea To PM For Continuation Of Education Of Ukraine Returned Medical Students

Bhubaneswar: With around 200 Odia students returning home from war-ravaged Ukraine and efforts on for evacuation of others, Kandhamal MP Achyuta Samanta has appealed to the Centre to facilitate continuation of their medical education in colleges in the country.

The MP said more than 1800 students from India including 800 from Odisha have been pursuing medical education in Ukraine. Due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, the students and their parents are in a traumatic condition which calls for a lot of thought and perseverance to find a solution to the humanitarian crisis, he added.

Stating that the war is unlikely to be over so soon, he said it has doubled the worries of India. This standoff is going to be agonising for the parents who are under huge mental pressure and agony.

“Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been persistently pursuing safe and early evacuation of people from the state stuck in the war-torn pockets of Ukraine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left no stone unturned to bring Indian nationals back. The evacuation efforts are laudable,” Samanta said.

He said the Central government should bring out a special policy to deal with continuation of medical education of the students after they return to India. “I would like to request Prime Minister and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to urgently deal with the next problem of academics after they have brought 18000 students back to India safely,” he said.

“There are 605 medical colleges in India including 325 in private sector. The students can be accommodated in different medical colleges at the level they were continuing so that there is no disruption in their academics. On an average, each college will have to take into its fold 30 students spread across first to fifth year and internship. It won’t create any extra burden on the infrastructure,” the MP said.

It will fall well within the norms and standards of the existing medical colleges without any violation. The fees can be charged at par with government college. The modalities can be worked out by the National Medical Council and Ministry of Health.

“Such a visionary compassionate step will secure the future and career of the students and their parents will be relieved,” the MP said.