Ukraine Returned Indian Students Apply for NEET 2022 to Study MBBS in India

Nearly a third of the approximately 18,000 Indian students who returned from Ukraine have reapplied for NEET-UG 2022, seeking to improve their scores and secure access to government medical college seats in India.

Most students and evacuees have formed an organisation to put pressure on the Health Ministry to act in the two months since 22,500 Indians returned from the war-torn country.

In mid-May, around 7,000 students signed a memorandum to the PMO demanding admission to local medical schools as a last alternative. The situation is also similar for fresh MBBS applicants who have minimal financial resources at home.

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As a result of the uncertain atmosphere and existing turmoil, parents are hesitant to send their children to European nations bordering Ukraine. In the near future, a region is unlikely to be an option for Indian students, and the demand for domestic medical education is expected to skyrocket this year, as per Harish Kumar, a member of the Parents' Association of Ukraine MBBS Students.

NEET-UG Statistics 2017-2021

According to National Testing Agency's report, this year's NEET-UG applicants totalled 18,72,339, a 16% increase over last year's 16,14,777. 20 candidates will vie for one MBBS slot in 2022, up from 11 in 2014 and steadily increasing. The following table shows the statistics for the same:

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MBBS Seats vs Colleges vs Applicants

The table below shows the supply and demand gap in terms of the number of MBBS seats vs MBBS colleges vs MBBS applicants in 2014 and 2022:

Agents that assist Indian students with MBBS studies abroad claim that this year, parents may be hesitant to send their children to Eastern Europe for studies since the unstable environment has created a psychological barrier.

In other European countries, education is quite expensive, and MBBS seats are scarce, unlike in Ukraine. In September, the new academic year in Ukraine's colleges begins and therefore students are expecting a response from the government before the deadline.

If domestic absorption measures fail, students will have no choice but to seek transfer to Hungary, Poland, Georgia, and other nations. Even yet, according to Karan Sandhu, an agent, the government will have to guide.

Sandhu, when asked what alternatives new MBBS hopefuls had, said that a select number of East European countries would still be chosen over Ukraine and Russia, which are still considered risky, and China, which has yet to open up after Covid-19.

Source: The Tribune