Medical education in China

China may not immediately figure as an option for students who are thinking of pursuing higher studies abroad. But why is it that Indian students choose to study medicine in that country? 

It has not been long since Chinese universities began to welcome students from abroad, particularly India. Going by the intake of foreign students, medical courses offered by various Chinese universities seem to be much in demand.

However, many of the courses are not compatible with the curricula recommended by the Medical Council of India (MCI). So students, who plan to join a medical degree course in China by paying around Rs. 10 lakhs, must ensure that the course is suitable for a professional career in India and that the credit hours of the institution are not very different from that in our country.

More than 180 universities in China offer various kinds of courses in medicine. But the number of institutions that are recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is between 90 and 100. Most universities follow the Chinese curriculum and only a few offer courses that are compatible with the laws governing medical education and practice in India, says Reyas Mohammed, managing director of the Asian Educational Consultancy (AEC), Alappuzha.

AEC is one of the leading promoters of medical education in China. "Our strength is that we are promoting a couple of universities that offer five-and-a-half-year MBBS courses that are compatible with the MCI curriculum," says Mr. Mohammed. Among the universities the AEC promotes are the Three Gorges University (TGU) and the Central South University (CSU).

Established in April 2000 by amalgamating three universities - namely the Central South University of Technology, the Hunan Medical University and the Changsha Railway University - the CSU enjoys a national university status and comes under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education in China.

According to Mr. Mohammed, it would cost Rs. 11 lakhs to complete a medical course at China's CSU, whereas the course at Three Gorges University's College of Medical Science would cost Rs. 8 lakhs. This amount includes tuition fees as well as the expenses for accommodation and food.

Mr. Mohammed said that the AEC already had 41 confirmed registrations from the State for this year's courses. According to him, the AEC is not merely a consultant firm. "We do provide student support to the extent of sending textbooks and teachers," he says.

Teachers? Yes. Four teachers were selected from Kerala exclusively to help the Malayali students in China. The agency also arranges textbooks for students.

The five-and-a-half-year course is inclusive of a year's internship. Mr. Mohammed says that the students could have the facility to do their internship in Kerala and save a good part of the total amount.

Most medical colleges in China have state-of-the-art infrastructure. And all students would have multimedia assistance. Yet, one has to watch out for the curriculum, not just the fees or infrastructure alone.

(courtesy THE HINDU)