Over the past decade, the number of Indian students studying abroad has steadily increased, despite facing significant adversities such as racism, violence, civil wars, political unrest, and international conflicts. According to government data, 1,335,878 Indian students are currently studying abroad. This includes 427,000 students in Canada, 337,630 in the US, 8,580 in China, eight in Greece, 900 in Israel, 14 in Pakistan, and 2,510 in Ukraine. Notably, it has been just two years since 20,000 Indians, including 18,000 medical students, were rescued from Ukraine during the peak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to reports, each year, around 20,000 to 25,000 Indian students go abroad to study medicine, looking beyond the traditional Anglophone nations and opting for lesser-known but viable medical education options. But why do our students choose to study abroad? The reason is no rocket science. As of 2024, approximately 24 lakh students registered for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate (UG) examination, while India offers a mere 10.89 lakh Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) seats across 700+ medical colleges. The doctor-to-population ratio in India is around 1:836. Even though it is above the WHO standard of 1:1,000, practically, it doesn’t offer much for a country with 140 crore population. We need more medical students to study and serve in India. It’s one of the biggest challenges faced by the government. In this issue, we feature some of the reputed alumni from the best medical colleges in India. Do let us know your thoughts.