Ukraine MBBS : Supreme Court Seeks Union's Response On Relief For Medical Students Who Returned From Ukraine Before Final Year

The Supreme Court recently issued a notice to the Union of India to clarify whether relief measures have been extended to students who were pursuing medical education in Ukraine and had to return to India before their final year due to the Russia–Ukraine conflict in 2022.A bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan opined that steps mentioned in the Union's compliance affidavit for medical students who returned from Ukraine appeared to assist only final-year students, and sought to know on whether any measures have been extended to students who returned before reaching their final year of the MBBS course.As per the affidavit, as a one-time extraordinary measure, the students who had not completed the degree were allowed to take the MBBS examination without being enrolled in any Indian medical college.“It appears from paragraph 5 that Union of India have taken care of category of students who were pursuing medical education abroad in Ukraine and have returned to India in their penultimate year. Prima facie, it appears to us that the steps taken by Union of India as set out in paragraph 5 will assist only the final year students. We issue notice to the respondents for limited purposes to ascertain whether any relief was extended to those students who were forced to come back from Ukraine who had not reached the final year of the MBBS course.”The notice is returnable on February 14, 2025, by which date the Court directed the Union of India to file a counter affidavit.BackgroundThis order follows previous directions issued by the Supreme Court regarding the plight of students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The order dated December 9, 2022, highlighted that many students, who had completed their semesters online after returning to India, faced challenges due to a lack of practical training.The Court had requested the Union of India and the National Medical Council (NMC) to address the issue urgently. NMC emphasized the necessity for practical training in medical education, noting that academic studies could not substitute for practical experience. The Court acknowledged the unique circumstances that forced these students to return to India and urged the authorities to find a solution to prevent their careers from being jeopardized.Following these directions, the NMC notified a scheme on July 28, 2022, allowing students in their final year who had completed their degrees online to take the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) and undergo a two-year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI). However, this scheme was limited to final-year students.On March 28, 2023, the Court recorded central government's stance in its compliance affidavit that as a one-time extraordinary measure, the students who had not completed the degree would be allowed to take the MBBS examination without being enrolled in any Indian medical college. The Court modified the compliance affidavit to allow two chances for students to clear their MBBS Final, both Part I and Part II examinations, instead of just one.The current notice from the Supreme Court seeks to ensure that relief measures are also considered for students who were in their penultimate year or earlier when they returned from Ukraine.Case no. – Writ Petition (Civil) No. 229/2022Case Title – National Medical Forum v. Union of India & Ors.Click Here To Read/Download Order

Ukraine MBBS : Supreme Court Seeks Union's Response On Relief For Medical Students Who Returned From Ukraine Before Final Year

Amisha Shrivastava

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