India has allocated a detailed advisory for forthcoming students desiring to study medicine in China, warning them of the pitfalls, including poor pass percentage, mandatory learning of the official spoken language Putonghua and stringent criteria to qualify to practice in India. The advisory was issued as thousands of Indians studying in Chinese medical colleges are presently stuck at home for more than two years due to Beijing’s COVID visa ban. According to official estimates, over 23,000 Indian students are presently enrolled in various Chinese universities. A vast plurality of them is medical students.

After more than two years of COVID visa limitations, China has lately started issuing visas to a selected number of students to return. Yet, most of them struggled to return as there are no direct flights, and the two countries are still in discussions to work out limited flight facilities keeping in view Beijing’s quarantine limitations. The Chinese medical colleges began registration for new students from India and abroad.

On Thursday- The Indian Embassy in Beijing issued a comprehensive advisory for students from India desiring to study medicine in China. The advisory has the results of the studies, which summarized hardships faced by Indian students in China and the strict criteria they experience to qualify for practicing medicine in India.

A remarkable feature of the advisory is that only 16% of the students passed the required test between 2015 & 2021 to qualify to practice in India. Only 6,387 out of 40,417 students who emerged in the FMG (Foreign Medical Graduate) Examination of the Medical Council of India (MCI) from 2015 to 2021 cleared it.

The advisory underlined that the passing percentage of Indian students who studied clinical medicine programmes in China in that period in 45 accredited universities was only 16%. The forthcoming students and parents may please note this fact when deciding on taking admission to Chinese universities for clinical medicine programmes.

It said that the fee structure is different for different universities and suggested students check from the university directly before taking admission. The advisory documented 45 medical colleges designated by the Chinese government to offer medical degrees in five-year duration plus a one-year internship. Indian students are recommended not to seek admission other than those 45 colleges.

The advisory said the Chinese government has mentioned in their official statement that international students can only join medical programmes in 45 universities in the English language. They cannot enter the clinical medicine programme in China, which is offered in the Chinese language. They have also clearly declared that any university offering clinical medicine programmes in bilingual mode (English and Chinese language) is rigorously forbidden.

It stated that learning the Chinese language is obligatory for clinical sessions. Thus, every student requires to learn the Chinese language up to the HSK-4 level. A student who does not clear this Chinese language skill will not be awarded a qualification degree. The advisory also emphasized that Indian students studying medicine in China need a license to practice in the country where they obtained the degree.

The advisory said that after completing the internship- students have to clear the Chinese Medical qualification examination and acquire a physician qualification certificate to practice in China. It is essential to pass the qualification exam to practice in India as the NMC (National Medical Commission) limitations dated November 18, 2021 state that any forthcoming student who pursues medical education abroad should necessarily acquire a license to practice in the country of a graduate after completing clinical medicine programme before appearing for FMG examination in India.

The advisory stated that the Indian students interested in taking a medical qualification from China require to pass the NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate) exam, which is the entrance examination for undergraduate (UG) medical education in India, as a provision for pursuing medical education abroad. Only students who clear the NEET-UG for admission to undergraduate medical education in India will be qualified to appear for the screening test, namely, the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam (FMGE).

The advisory also said that on the quality of clinical medicine undergraduate programmes in China, the advisory listed the feedback from past students. The embassy has obtained reviews from past students who have completed such programmes earlier. One of the most everyday challenges is the English language skills of Chinese teachers in these universities. A few students also complained about a shortage of practical/clinical experience with regard to engaging with patients in certain universities.

It recommended forthcoming students and their parents have a look at the study conducted by the National Board of Examination on the pass percentage of students who had studied in various Chinese universities. It also suggested the students planning to enroll in any university in China confirm whether the university is on the list of 45 universities. They also need to know about the course duration (as it differs from university to university), the curriculum provided, the language of instruction, mode of education (online or offline), fee structure, and visa requirements before moving to China.

The embassy prepared a table as per the pass percentage of Indian students in the FMG Examination- the linkage of which is provided in the advisory. The advisory declared forthcoming students might expect to make their judgment when deciding to choose the university as the Embassy or the National Medical Council of India has not accomplished any ranking or evaluation of the quality of education provided by these universities to international students in China.

News Source: News 18