The Supreme Court, on May 31, 2022, said that Indian students who cannot afford to pay the high expense of medical education are fleeing to nations such as Ukraine.
The statement came months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine compelled India to evacuate over 20,000 students from the turmoil country. It was made while the court was hearing a series of petitions asking that the Centre should consider applications for the construction of additional pharmacy colleges.
To prevent the proliferation of pharmacy colleges, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) issued a five-year moratorium on their settlement in 2019.
Also Read: Despite Brexit, UK’s International Student Population Increases
Even though the high courts of Karnataka, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh have all ruled down the moratorium, the Centre and the PCI have defended it.
There are more than 2,500 pharmacy colleges, as per Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Centre and PCI. Take a look at what is going on in the country right now. Colleges are claiming that the moratorium has cost them two years because it began in the 2020-21 academic year, he said.
The court has issued notices on petitions from pharmacy institutions requesting new authorisation to commence classes before the next 30 days.
Advocate Sidharth R Gupta, who represented one of the petitioners, underlined the Chhattisgarh high court's February 24, 2022, judgement lifting the moratorium and declaring that PCI was obligated to evaluate new institutes applications.
Also Read: Indians to Benefit from UK's New High Potential Individual Visa Route
PCI would appeal the Chhattisgarh high court's decision, Mehta informed the bench. However, the bench noted that PCI has submitted its response and that the matter might be heard in over 15 appeals stemming from the Delhi and Karnataka high courts' orders. On July 26, the court scheduled a hearing on all of the cases.
PCI issued a moratorium on new pharmacy institute applications, noting the number of such colleges and their yearly student intake. It claimed that the existing pharmacist workforce was sufficient to meet the country's needs. Later, PCI exempted certain types of colleges, including government universities in the northeast.
Source: Hindustan Times
Study MBBS Abroad at an Affordable Cost!