Should Ukraine Returned MBBS Students Be Exempt from The NEET Exam?

 In a plea to the Prime Minister of the country, AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam has requested that Ukraine returned medical students should be exempt from the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET). The former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu thanked PM Modi for bringing back more than 14,000 medical students from the war-torn country and pointed out in a letter that the exam serves as an obstacle for the Ukraine returned students to get admission into Indian medical colleges (as per guidelines only students who have qualified the NEET exam are eligible for admission into MBBS, BSD & AYUSH courses in India).

The former CM of Tamil Nadu has requested the authorities including PM Modi to intervene and relax the rules for the students affected by the war in Ukraine as a special case such that they can continue their education in India. Many such students are worried about their future as no direction has been provided by the government. There are internal concerns that any special treatment for specific students will also lead to a backlash from latest year applicants with lower / borderline ranks, hence the government is taking time in their decision for the thousands of students affected

A glimmer of hope is that the NMC has allowed final year medical students from Ukraine to complete their mandatory 12-month internship in India, this however does not provide respite for junior students (first year to fourth year)