Medical students enrolled in Manipal University, India are left disappointed after the Medical Council of India (MCI) announced last week that the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees offered by Kasturba Medical Colleges in Manipal and Mangalore are no longer recognized.

The Health Ministry of Malaysia is looking into the matter and has promised the welfare of the Malaysian students to be taken care of. It will also consider accommodating credit transfers that allow students to complete their medical degrees from other universities.

In the meantime, the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) will seek further clarification from MCI on its latest decision.

Popular among students from Malaysia, Manipal University also has a sister campus in Melaka, where students can enroll for 3+2 program, which consists of 3 years of clinical training locally and 2 years of pre-clinical in India.

In response to the announcement, Manipal University has responded by saying that MCI does not possess the power to de-recognize universities, and only acts as a recommendatory body. In addition, more than 4,000 alumni of Kasturba Medical College (KMC) are presently practicing in America with recognition from the New York State Education Board, while close to 3,000 doctors in Malaysia received their degrees from Manipal.

Medical degree offered by the Manipal University, India, is no longer recognized by the Medical Council of India, as announced last week.

Inadequate facilities and non-compliance to regulations are cited as the reasons of the de-recognition.

The decision means that students graduated in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) may not be granted immediate qualification to practice medicine in Malaysia. However, the Health Ministry is yet to issue its ultimate decision on the status. A team from the ministry is being sent for observation and evaluation.

The Medical Council of India, or MCI, is a regulatory constitutional body set up to establish a quality medical framework for tertiary institutions in the country. The body grants recognition to colleges and universities in India, as well as in overseas.

The Manipal University is popular among the Malaysian students, with more than 50 students enrolled for MBBS and dentistry course. It also has a sister campus based in Melaka.

Manipal enrolls more than 100,000 students at one time, with students coming from over 50 countries worldwide. Some of the popular courses offered by the university are dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, biotechnology, engineering, business, management and health sciences.