NEW DELHI: The All India Medical Students Association (AISMA) on Saturday appealed to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take urgent steps to evacuate all Indian students in Iran due to the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Universities have now cancelled exams for all medical courses.
A majority of the nearly 3,000 students in Iran are pursuing MBBS, while a few are enrolled in Dentistry and Engineering courses. Despite the tense situation, around 700 to 800 students have remained in the country as they are required to appear for the Olum-e-Paye examination, which is mandatory after completing 2.5 years of the MBBS programme. Qualifying in the exam allows them to transition from classroom studies to practical clinical training in hospitals.
“The Olum-e-Paye exam, the internship and the basic sciences exams for dentistry and medicine have been cancelled now. AISMA took up the issue on behalf of the students,” Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, the national representative of AIMSA told this reporter.
A video released online by Mehek Hussain, a medical student in Urmia Institute of Medical Sciences on behalf of the students, said, “We are really in panic after Israel attached Iran this morning. We do not know what to do. We were forced to stay back due to our Olum e Paye exams as our university did not let us go. We request the Indian government and the Embassy to evacuate the students and all Indians here urgently because we do not know what will happen in the coming days.”
In a media statement, AISMA said, “There is a need to continuous monitoring of developments and timely communication to prevent panic and ensure clarity among students and their families. There is a need to issue clear advisories and activation of dedicated emergency helplines for the students,” AISMA said. It also called for close co-ordination between Iranian authorities, university administrations and the Indian Embassy in Teheran.