Doctors Without Borders? Indian Students Going Abroad To Study Medicine Rises By 3,386 To 17,504 In 2018

The number of Indian students going abroad to study medicine has seen a substantial rise in 2018, shows data released by the Medical Council of India (MCI); the number of eligibility certificates issued to students seeking to enrol themselves in foreign medical universities has risen by 3,386 to 17,504 in 2018, reports India Today.

The increase in the number of overseas medical students has been constant since 2015. The number of applicants in 2017 for the mandatory eligibility certificate to study medicine overseas, in fact, doubled compared to the previous year.

The number of eligibility certificates actually granted had also increased sharply between 2016-17 to 2017-18, rising from 8,737 to 14,118. The previous year’s pending applications which were cleared are also included in the number of eligibility certificates granted.

The government had made it mandatory to receive an eligibility certificate to study medicine overseas from January 2014, with the new rule being in force for any student taking admission in foreign medical university on or after 4 January 2015.