The University of Leeds leads the way for Indian students

Dr. Piruthivi Sukumar at a recent healthcare convention spoke nuances of healthcare in the U.K. and what India can offer to it

“We are organising a health research convention, which comprises a couple of workshops, community-based learning, and also cardiac care. We also included a one-day seminar on medical education, how medical education has evolved in India and the U.K., and what we can learn from each other” said Dr. Piruthivi Sukumar Dean of the International Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Leeds during his interaction with The Hindu.

According to him, India has advanced considerably, and the world can learn a lot from the country especially in the field of international medicine, he applauded that, “We need to showcase that more, I think. Hence, I encourage fifth-year medical students to spend up to six weeks in India to learn about Indian health systems,” he said.

He also goes into why Indian doctors are highly paid and respected in foreign countries. “When I was doing my internship after MBBS (in India), I used to see 200-300 patients a day, outpatients, “ he said. In the West, on the other hand, patient volume is much less. “The experience our healthcare staff get is a huge thing.”

He also went into the nuances of healthcare in the U.K. and what India can offer to it. “Health is under the Government’s National Health Service. It has a lot of Indian doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals, “ he said adding that bringing in students from the U.K. will help them to understand India better and what India can offer, especially in the medicine and health area. Our strength is in our numbers” he said.

He also commented on the huge talent pool of students excelling in multiple disciplines in India and why it needs to be showcased more. “I want to also say that the quality of our educational institutions has grown by leaps and bounds, which is not very well recognized or understood by the Western world,” he said.

He concluded the session by explaining how the Labour government has changed the rhetoric and welcomed international students with a minimum salary of 29,000 pounds.

Published - September 19, 2024 08:37 pm IST