We, British and Irish students who have been studying in Ukraine to achieve a degree in Medicine and Dentistry have been stranded in terms of our educational careers in light of the recent crisis. This war doesn’t seem to have an end, nor do the negotiations seem to work, and even if they do so, it doesn’t look like we will be able to go back to Ukraine to study shortly.

Most of these students are in clinical years or completing the penultimate clinical year in various universities within Ukraine. We are all in different stages of our degrees, with some of us already doing clinical placements in Ukraine and some in the middle of medical board examinations. We all had to leave this behind for the safety of our lives and leave our education hanging.

As a matter of urgency, we appeal to the British government to value our main concerns into consideration and engage in discussions with the respective statutory bodies, the General Medical Council, the Medical Schools Council and the various Medical Schools in the United Kingdom to help address our concerns and as a WAR-TIME EXCEPTION ALLOW TRANSFER TO THE UK MEDICAL COLLEGES IN EQUIVALENT YEARS.

I must point into the direction of numerous examples where the UK government provided direct transfers to students and waved off admission requirements for political reasons. For once, we would request to wave off and take this as an exception on humanitarian and equality grounds.

There are four primary regulatory objectives per the OIS

1. All students, from all backgrounds, and with the ability and desire to undertake higher education:

Are supported to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education.
UK / Irish students studying in Ukraine need the government’s support to receive higher education and progress from it. In the current Pandemic crisis, we have seen how much the UK needs doctors, and this is our chance to serve and your chance to help fulfil your commitment.

2. Receive a high-quality academic experience, and their interests are protected while they study or in the event of provider, campus or course closure.

This is precisely what has happened to us though we were studying in Ukraine. However, we should also review why did over 500 students choose to look outside of the UK without UCAS funding. The answer is too much complication, especially for those who wish to change their careers in the middle of their lives.

3. Are able to progress into employment or further study, and their qualifications hold their value over time.

Most of us are in the middle of our careers and changing our careers to practice medicine. This clearly shows our passion and vision to serve our nation and country with education and experience.

4. Receive value for money.

Allowing students into equivalent years will enable the UK to backfill doctors even more quickly for the next couple of years by a few hundred without putting a burden on the immigration system.

As indicated above, each of the above regulatory objectives is met by our case if it is reviewed on a humanitarian grounds. 

In the end, we request that all the British Medical Schools should look into the situation and provide us with an equal and fair opportunity without us losing another year of our education.

We sincerely request you to take our concerns and our situation into full consideration as a matter of urgency and extend your support so that we may be able to fulfil our passions for becoming qualified doctors. Therefore, we can return home as competent doctors to meet the needs of the shortage of doctors and services that the NHS is currently facing.

We would appreciate a response, as we would like to open up a conversation with the British government and British students returning from Ukraine so that our concerns can be addressed more directly.

Thanks,

Representative and on behalf of the UK / Irish Students studying in Ukraine