KOCHI: The High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Union ministry of home affairs, state government and National Medical Commission (NMC) on a petition filed by the Parents Association of Foreign Medical Graduates, Thrissur, on behalf of 92 China-returned students seeking a directive to let them do practical training and internships in any of the colleges in the state or country.
Justice N Nagaresh adjourned the case to March 30 for further hearing. The petitioner also sought directives to the NMC to approve the online classes being organised by Chinese universities and the External Affairs Ministry to take steps to facilitate the return of the students to their universities.
The petition said the students were forced to return home during the Covid outbreak in 2020. Now, China is bracing itself for another wave and it is unlikely its government would be willing to re-accommodate its international students back in the universities until it reaches the stage of zero pandemic. The association said these students were pursuing medical courses in top universities in China which had been approved by NMC.
The students are now continuing their courses online and have not been able to avail the required practical and clinical training. The commission’s recent order had approved the online classes being conducted for medical students in India, but not the ones conducted by Chinese universities. Therefore, there is a pressing need for the Central government to intervene by making necessary changes in NMC rules and regulations.
The Indian authorities and media have portrayed a false image about the quality of medical education imparted in these Chinese universities. This and other reasons have meant a prejudiced treatment of these students in India, said the petition.