Ever since Agni Mukherjee returned from China after completing his MBBS from Kunming Medical University, he has told this story countless times. “After a long day at the university, my friends and I would unwind at a roadside hotpot restaurant. These are called community hotpots. We would sit around a hot stove with a pot full of broth and veggies, chicken and fish on the side to go with it, and tuck in with gusto.”
It is not at all uncommon for Indian students to pursue a career in medicine in China. On the contrary, with the war in Ukraine and the political turmoil in Indonesia, China has become the new favoured destination of medical aspirants from India.
While in school, Agni knew he wanted to study medicine but he was not sure where to apply, if not in India. “I had a senior who was studying medicine in China. He told me about the application process,” he adds.
Agni’s enrolment was based on his NEET score. He also had to appear for an interview. However, some things about the admission process may vary depending on the school. The programme at a Chinese university is for 5+1 years, with one year of internship. The lessons are in English but Chinese language training is compulsory.
Shivang, 22, tells The Telegraph, “When I was preparing for NEET, I already had a list of countries I wanted to apply to in case it did not work out here in India.” He rattles off, “Georgia, Russia, China...” Even after two years of trying, when Shivang — who goes only by his first name — could not crack NEET, he finally started looking into medical schools in China. He says, “My parents wanted me to try again but I was not interested anymore.”
With the help of an agent, Shivang got admission at Soochow University in Suzhou city near Shanghai. “They asked for marksheets of my Class X and Class XII boards, my NEET score sheet and I had to appear for an interview. But I have been hearing that my university will start conducting its own admission test from next year,” he says.
Chinese universities have a vibrant international student community. Shivang says, “I love learning languages, exploring new cultures and I am quite the extrovert. So my experience here has been good so far.”
Vinay Prasad, who too opted to study in China after he couldn’t secure a medical seat in India, says, “Once you get over the initial culture shock, it is mostly a good experience.” But he insists on learning Chinese as soon as possible. “Although classes are in English, you would need to speak Chinese to get by,” he says. However, students are not expected to know the language at the application stage.
Vinay says he is “satisfied with the standard of academics” in China. “If you are proactive, professors are quite cooperative and will help you out as much as they can,” he adds. Vinay joined a medical university in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province.
Speaking of his internship experience, Agni says, “They never seem to
be understaffed, the facilities are good and everything works efficiently.” He recalls the time when he had to seek medical help for himself and says, “Even for an international student, services were prompt.”
Chinese universities do not offer scholarships. But all three students The Telegraph interviewed spoke of fee waivers for class toppers. Vinay says, “The living cost in China is not too high because a lot of the services are subsidised. But if you are someone who likes to eat out often, then you might rack up quite the bill.”
Most university dormitories come with a community kitchen that students make use of. Agni says, “Whenever I returned to university after a vacation at home, my parents would send with me a suitcase full of masalas.”
After six years of training, a student may choose to return to India for a master’s degree or practice in China itself. Vinay says, “There is a licensing exam in China. If you pass that, I suppose you can practice there.”
Agni, who has returned to pursue a master’s degree in India, says, “Master’s degrees in medicine from foreign countries are not recognised in India. So I had to come back.”
He has recently cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination or FMGE. It is a mandatory licensing exam that foreign medical graduates must take to practice in India.
“It is quite difficult to pass this exam, especially on your first try,” Agni says. “In China, the medical syllabus is spread over many semesters. The Indian syllabus is more concise. That is why it takes a lot of effort for us to ace the FMGE and also adjust to the Indian academic environment.”
Always best to know what you are signing up for.