By Liang Meilan
China has displaced the US, Russia and the UK in the past five to six years as the most attractive place for foreigners to receive medical degrees – a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) – particularly students from countries like India, Pakistan and Nepal.
Favorable policies like low tuition rates and lower standards on qualifying exams have gone far to boost enrollment.
But controversy has swirled since a report by Southern Weekly revealed that hundreds of foreign students were cheated by seven medical schools, which issued non-state-approved diplomas in order to attract overseas students.
Approximately 7,000 Indian students are in China, most studying medicine. Photos provided by Tarun Singh
Seeking solace in Beijing
Tarun Singh, a 25-year-old man from Etawah, a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, appears to be in a good situation. He is entering his fourth year of MBBS study at Beijing’s Capital Medicine University, ranked No. 1 among 49 universities qualified to educate foreign students.
In the middle of his clinical studies in university-associated Beijing Friendship Hospital, Singh is on his way toward realizing his dream of becoming a doctor.
Born into a family of doctors, this was his destiny.
Tarun Singh, a fourth year student at Capital Medicine University
“No one is forcing me to study medicine. I just love it,” he said. “Or maybe I should say I love it because I’m familiar with this profession and see its beauty.”
After graduating from high school, Singh applied for top medical schools such as the American-run King George Medicine college, which is his parents’ alma mater.
But Singh – to everyone’s surprise – failed the exam. His last resort was to study abroad.
He chose China, despite never having visited the country. He learned from a friend in Jilin University in a MBBS program about the benefits of learning medicine in China, and after lots of online research, Singh applied.
“I thought it had to be good since the school is in the capital and ranks at the top,” he said.
Singh – with his immaculate high school transcript – was quickly accepted. He paid the $1,500 (9,800 yuan) to an agent and was enrolled the year after.
Diligent and gifted, the coursework has gone very well for Singh. He has gotten used to the routine of napping in the evening so the rest of his time can be spent tending to patients and studying. He is preparing for the notoriously difficult but internationally recognized States Medical Licensing Examination next year.
“Not many students work hard and dare to take this exam,” he said. “Thanks to the quality education and nice teachers in the school, I’ve gotten the preparation I need to .”
But is Singh an exception to the rule?
“The respected social status and decent income of doctors is leading many young people in India to strive to be a doctor at any cost,” he said. One of his Indian friends studying in China has already changed schools three times – all third-rate universities – due to shoddy schoolwork.
Activities being held for Indian students
Win-win model
According to a McKinsey report, India has been on the receiving end of a boom in medical tourism, as people from Western countries go there seeking medical treatment at a tenth of the cost as in their countries.
Each year, tens of thousands of students seek to get their medical degree abroad, seeking positions at hospitals that will ensure them decent lives.
But the high cost of attending Indi’s medical schools – and the stringent application requirements – has led to prospective doctors going abroad for education.
China is a favorite destination, where medical schools charge about half of what Indian schools charge on a yearly basis.
And entrance exam requirements are lower. According to a report by the Indian embassy in China, of the approximately 7,000 Indian students in China, most are studying medicine.
For Chinese schools, raising their international prestige and improving education quality are major concerns moving forward.
“Since the turn of 20th century, China began to produce many quality foreign students who study for MBBS degrees in many medical disciplines,” said Miao Jingcheng, vice principal of Suzhou University. “The increase of international students is a significant way for the school to strengthen its international impact.”
Last year, the first batch of Indian students majoring in medicine at Tianjin Medical University took part in a doctor license screening test held by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
Among the 6,000 test-takers from around the world, 24-year-old Saurabh Suman – a graduate of Tianjin Medical University – got the second highest score.
About 65 percent of students from Tianjin Medical University passed the test, a rate five times higher than that of students in India.
Education experiment
Tianjin Medical University and Capital Medicine University are role models for medical schools in China, which have all the latest medical equipment at their disposal.
Tianjin Medical University invested 160 million yuan and built the country’s first English hospital for foreign students, complete with all the hospital divisions and ward facilities one would find at a foreign hospital.
“Teachers are all experienced Chinese doctors who have a certain amount of overseas experience, and all can speak English fluently,” Singh said.
Recalling a teacher who patiently explained a question for him for three hours, “She was the most responsible and patient teacher I’ve met,” he said.
Singh said that he has spent his four years dabbling in systematic medical subjects as well as Chinese culture subjects.
“My six-month study of acupuncture was very enriching. It is amazing that Chinese people formed such a precise treatment back in ancient times,” he said.
Other schools, however, are lagging behind in terms of both faculty quality and equipment.
Wang Zhizhong, a teacher from Ningxia Medical University, said that the language barrier has emerged as a big challenge for teachers.
“We ask students to help us by picking out our mistakes when we speak English. It is beneficial to both sides,” he said.
But should medical schools be the place for teachers to receive language training – from their students, no less?
There is also the issue of internships. Most hospitals offer a long residency period for students, who get real-world experience learning from experienced doctors.
“Capital Medicine University is doing well in this respect by sending students to its affiliated hospital,” Singh said. But schools in second- and third-tier cities may find it difficult to accomplish this.
And what happens when students graduate? Most Indian students return to their country to work.
Singh’s goal is to be a pediatrician in the US. He is spending sleepless nights preparing to become a US doctor – and to gain all the riches that entails.