Supreme Court Steps In: Relief in Sight for Displaced Medical Students
SC issues notices on extended internships and fees for MBBS students who fled war and pandemic.
A Crisis Within a Crisis
The Ukraine war and COVID-19 pandemic upended the lives of thousands of Indian medical students studying abroad. Many were forced to flee their host countries mid-course, leaving their degrees incomplete. While the government later permitted them to complete studies or internships in India under special schemes, a new set of issues arose—extended internships and unexpected fees. These students, already displaced once, now face academic and financial uncertainty within their own country. Their struggle has now reached the Supreme Court.
Two major petitions were recently filed. The first challenges the National Medical Commission's rule mandating two to three years of additional internships for students who had returned during their MBBS courses. The second seeks to stop colleges from charging exorbitant internship fees to these displaced students. On May 13, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre and NMC, demanding their response. While the government has yet to reply, the Court’s intervention signals growing concern for the humanitarian and legal dimensions of this crisis.
Currently, many of these students are caught in limbo. Having completed their final-year courses—often online—they are now being asked to redo long internships with no stipends and high fees. Most come from middle-class families already strained by the cost of foreign education and sudden evacuations. With no clear timeline for resolution, these aspiring doctors remain in uncertainty, hoping the legal system will acknowledge their unique situation and provide a fair, compassionate path forward.
