THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the State Assembly on Monday that the state government will contact the Centre and the National Medical Commission (NMC) to examine how best the state's medical students returning from the war-torn Ukraine may be assisted.

"I tell the assembly that the state government will do all possible to assist our students studying medicine in Ukraine. The Centre and the NMC must decide what can be done, and we will do everything we can to help them "Vijayan stated.

He went on to say that the NMC's decision is pending because they are the responsible authorities in such matters. "In extreme circumstances of war and pandemic eras, the NMC has instructions on what needs to be done, especially for those who are undergoing residency and what the road forward is for such students," Vijayan added.

He also mentioned that, as a result of the fighting in Ukraine, all students enrolled in various courses there had to return, and those who had lost their certificates and were concerned about their future studies had to call the Centre.

"A separate cell will be established to coordinate all of this, consisting of officials from the Health Department and the Non Resident Keralites Affairs Department (Norka), and an allocation of Rs 10 crore has been set aside in the recently submitted budget," Vijayan added.

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