The plight of Indian medical students in Ukraine, who were trapped in a warzone, grabbed everyone’s attention. But what about us? I am one of the over 20,000 Indian medical students enrolled in universities in China. We’ve been studying from home since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. We’re safe and sound here, but our education is suffering. Our Government, it seems, has turned a blind eye.

Sign my petition asking the Indian government to take up the concerns of its medical students enrolled in China, with the Chinese government. 

For the last two years, we have been studying online, and haven’t been able to take part in any practical sessions inside the laboratory, which are necessary for studying Medicine. 

We’ve been asking our universities in China to call us back but to no avail. India’s diplomatic response to the plight of its large student base has not been up to the mark. Even Singapore and Pakistan have managed to get replies from Chinese universities to address the concerns of their respective student bodies. But despite our numerical strength, Indian students haven’t received any assurance from China or a firm timeline for our return to our universities.

• In June 2020, India banned Chinese apps including WeChat and DingTalk. These apps were essential for the online studies of Indian medical students enrolled in Chinese universities. But of course! Our concerns were like an afterthought for the government. Besides losing out on practicals, we don’t even have any recorded video lectures because of the instability in teaching platforms. It’s getting very difficult to keep up with our studies. Traditional methods of teaching are lost. Students are completely dependent on internet connections to excel in their studies and exams for a degree that serves the purpose to allow its students to treat patients and cure diseases. Medicine cannot be studied online WITHOUT real interaction with the teachers.
• We’re facing so many hurdles in our education. When I came back to India in 2020, I was still in my first year, which consists of basic theory lectures and fundamentals. But in the 2nd and 3rd years of our study, we start going to the laboratory for practical training. Indian medical students enrolled in China are losing out on those valuable sessions. 
• To top it all, as per the guidelines of the National Medical Council (NMC), from 2023 there will be NEXT examination for all FMGs and IMGs to practice in India. In the eligibility criteria for NEXT examination, NMC does not recognise foreign medical education unless students attend a stipulated number of physical classes and complete an internship at their university. The regulations make it a lot more complicated for transfers from one foreign university to another, and even if the complications are settled, the fees and strain of learning a new language becomes a hurdle. All our money, efforts and resources could go in vain. Many of us are in the third year of our course, out of which 2 years are already passed online. MBBS cannot be understood, learned or taught online. Any more online lectures will cause a serious dilemma for students and their careers. Hereby requesting the Government of India to facilitate the students with arrangements of practicals within India for which students are ready to pay average affordable fees.

I urge the Indian government to take up the return of Indian students to China on a priority basis with the Chinese government. According to news outlets, the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is expected to visit India soon. Our concerns should be on the TOP OF THE AGENDA in these meetings. We need to know when we can resume our studies in China! 

State governments and their respective State Medical Councils should also try and explore a solution whereby Indian medical students enrolled in China may do clinical rotations and practicals in NMC recognised hospitals and medical universities in the state in the form of workshops and seminars at an affordable price to get adequate clinical exposure and hands-on experience for the sake of learning and knowledge.

If our country is facing a shortage of doctors, then the Government should try and ensure that every medical student’s needs are met, to provide them with the best possible opportunity to serve the nation.