How Ukraine turned into a destination for medical aspirants from India

All eyes are on India’s external affairs ministry as thousands of Indians are stranded in Ukraine amid the Russian assault. Ukraine’s airspace is shut, further complicating matters. India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti told the world body on Thursday that over 20,000 Indians, mostly students, are stuck in Ukraine. 

“We are facilitating their return,” Tirumurti said at the UN. 

Most students from India are pursuing MBBS in Ukraine. Kharkiv National Medical University, Bukovinian State Medical University, Zaporizhzhia State Medical University and several other institutes have sizeable Indian students. Many Indians also pursue engineering in this Eastern European country. 

There are an estimated 1,000 students from Rajasthan in Ukraine, including 40 from Kota. Bundi Congress leader Charmesh Sharma had earlier said many Indian students studying at Zaporizhzhia State Medical University were in distress. 

Indore Lok Sabha MP Shankar Lalwani had also said that he’d written to external affairs minister S Jaishankar to facilitate the return of 25 students from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, who are stuck in Ukraine. 

As per Ukrainian education ministry data (latest as of 2020), there were 18,095 Indian students in Ukraine – representing 23.64 per cent (the highest) of the overall international students grouping. 

Indian students looking to pursue medical education in Ukraine as the tuition fees of private medical colleges back home are more expensive. Also, Ukrainian medical degrees are recognised by the World Health Council, Indian Medical Council, European Council of Medicine and General Medical Council of the United Kingdom. 

On February 24 morning, a Ukraine International Airlines flight with 182 Indian nationals landed at Delhi’s IGI airport. However, an Air India flight had to return to Delhi following the closure of Ukraine’s airspace.  

Some 200 students had also returned from Ukraine to Delhi on November 22 night. These students were from Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and some other states. 

Read | 242 Indian students brought safely from crisis-hit Ukraine - Know India's evacuation plan

Indo-Ukraine pharma ties 

According to UN Comtrade data, India was the 15th largest export and 2nd biggest import market of pharma products for Ukraine in 2020. As for India, Ukraine was the 23rd largest export and 30th largest import market in the same category. 

India’s pharma exports to Ukraine stood at $158.1 million and imports at $3.8 million in 2020, as per UN Comtrade data. Indian companies such as Ranbaxy, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Sun Group, etc. have offices in Ukraine. They’ve also set up the Indian Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers’ Association (IPMA) in the country. 

Other than pharma products, India’s major exports to Ukraine in 2020 were electrical and electronic equipment, plastics and related articles, oil seeds, grain, fruits, seeds and chemical products. India’s major imports from Ukraine are vegetable oil and fertilisers.