High MBBS fees forced student to choose Ukraine, reached campus minutes before war began

Thane: Sanket Patil, hailing from Dombivli here in Maharashtra, was excited after getting admission in a Ukraine-based university for a medical course, but his happiness was short-lived as the east European country faced an attack by Russia minutes after he stepped into the educational institution's hostel on February 24.

The 23-year-old student is now confined to the hostel there and is staring at an uncertain future. His family back home is worried about his safety and is praying for his return soon.

Patil had appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to pursue medical education in India. But, his father, who is a school teacher, could not afford the high fees of colleges here. The family then tried for his admission in the Bukovinian State Medical University at Chernivtsi in Ukraine.

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"The fees in Ukraine were one-third of that charged here, hence I decided to get my son admitted there," Sanket's father Gokul Patil told reporters on Sunday.

A delighted Sanket, with dreams of a bright future in his eyes, had left for Ukraine on February 23. He entered the university hostel on February 24 and within minutes, he got to know that Russia had launched the military offensive against Ukraine. Gokul Patil is now worried about his son's safe return.

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"There is no one there to take care of him. I am worried about his safety. After getting into the hostel, he called us and said all is well, but then the war began," he said. A large number of Indians, mostly students, are stranded in Ukraine following Russia's attack on the country. India has begun evacuating them and over 900 people have been brought back since Saturday.