14-day visa-free entry boosts Philippines as top choice for Indian medical students
Let's talk finances, often the biggest hurdle. Private medical colleges in India can come with eye-watering costs that rise every year. The Philippines offers a far more affordable structure without compromising on quality. Tuition typically ranges between Rs 22 lakhs to Rs 31 lakhs for the full programme, depending on the university. Add savings from visa-free travel, and the overall value becomes hard to ignore for families seeking quality and cost-efficiency.GLOBALLY RECOGNISED MEDICAL COLLEGES: WHO AND NMC ACCREDITATIONadvertisementQuality assurance is essential when choosing a medical school abroad. The Philippines is home to many institutions recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and India's National Medical Commission (NMC). This dual recognition ensures your degree is valid in India and globally. Graduates are eligible for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in India and international exams like the USMLE - opening doors to medical careers both at home and abroad.ENGLISH-MEDIUM CURRICULUM AND GLOBAL EXAM COMPATABILITYFor Indian students, here's a big plus: medical education in the Philippines is entirely in English. This eliminates language barriers and allows students to focus on academics. The American-style MD programme aligns with global standards and licencing exams like FMGE and USMLE. This structure ensures Indian students are well-prepared to practice medicine in India, the US, or beyond.EARLY CLINICAL EXPOSURE AND PRACTICAL TRAININGUnlike countries where clinical exposure is delayed, the Philippines emphasises hands-on training early in the program. Students engage with real patients and healthcare settings from the start. This early exposure builds confidence and strengthens practical skills. The American-model program blends theoretical knowledge with real-world application, preparing students for the demands of modern medicine.-----Another reassuring element: the large Indian student community in the Philippines. With thousands of Indian students already enrolled, new arrivals benefit from built-in support. Peer groups and student associations help ease cultural transitions and offer guidance on everything from academics to everyday life. The presence of Indian societies provides a warm welcome - something reassuring for many students and parents during this major life transition.As Indian students continue to explore global opportunities for medical education, the Philippines stands out. It combines visa-free access, affordability, recognised quality, and a strong support network. With its student-friendly policies and international credibility, the Philippines is emerging not just as an alternative, but as a preferred destination for Indian medical aspirants.Trending Reel
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India Today
30 minutes ago
- India Today
Should you double-check your doctor with ChatGPT? Yes, you absolutely should
First, there was Google. Or rather Doctor Google, as it is mockingly called by the men and women in white coats, the ones who come in one hour late to see their patients and those who brush off every little query from patients brusquely and sometimes with unwarranted there is a new foe in town, and it is only now that doctors are beginning to realise it. This is ChatGPT, or Gemini, or something like DeepSeek, the AI systems that are coherent and powerful enough to act like medical guides. Doctors are, obviously, not happy about it. Just the way they enrage patients for trying to discuss with them what the ailing person finds after Googling symptoms, now they are fuming against advice that ChatGPT can dish problem is that no one likes to be double-checked. And Indian doctors, in particular, hate it. They want their word to be the gospel. Bhagwan ka roop or something like that. But frustratingly for them, the capabilities of new AI systems are such that anyone can now re-check their doctor's prescription, or can read diagnostic films and observations, using tools like ChatGPT. The question, however, is: should you do it? Absolutely yes. The benefits outweigh the harms. Let me tell you a story. This is from around 15 years ago. A person whom I know well went to a doctor for an ear infection. This was a much-celebrated doctor, leading the ENT department in a hospital chain which has a name starting with the letter F. The doctor charged the patient a princely sum and poked and probed the ear in question. After a few days of tests and consultations, a surgery — rather complex one — was recommended. It was at this time, when the patient was submitting the consent forms for the surgery that was scheduled for a few days later, that the doctor discovered some new information. He found that the patient was a journalist in a large media group, the name of which starts with the letter new information, although not related to the patient's ear, quickly changed the tune the doctor was whistling. He became coy and cautious. He started having second thoughts about the surgery. So, he recommended a second opinion, writing a reference for another senior doctor, who was the head of the ENT at a hospital chain which has a name starting with the letter A. The doctor at this new hospital carried out his own observations. The ear was probed and poked again, and within minutes he declared, 'No, surgery needed. Absolutely, no surgery needed.'What happened? I have no way of confirming this. But I believe here is what happened. The doctor at hospital F was pushing for an unnecessary and complex surgery, the one where chances of something going wrong were minimal but not zero. However, once he realised that the patient was a journalist, he decided not to risk it and to get out of the situation, relied on the doctor at hospital is a story I know, but I am sure almost everyone in this country will have similar anecdotes. At one time or another, we have all had a feeling that this doctor or that was probably pushing for some procedure, some diagnostic test, or some advice that did not sit well with us. And in many unfortunate cases, people actually underwent some procedure or some treatment that harmed them more than it helped. Medical negligence in India flies under the radar of 'doctor is bhagwan ka roop' and other other countries where medical negligence is something that can have serious repercussions for doctors and hospitals, in India, people in white coats get flexibility in almost everything that they do. A lot of it is due to the reverence that society has for doctors, the savers of life. Some of it is also because, in India, we have far fewer doctors than are needed. This is not to say that doctors in India are incompetent. In general, they are not, largely thanks to the scholastic nature of modern medicine and procedures. Most of them also work crazy long hours, under conditions that are extremely frugal in terms of equipment and highly stressful in terms of this is exactly why we should use ChatGPT to double-check our doctors in India. Because there is a huge supply-demand mismatch, it is safe to say that we have doctors in the country who are not up for the task, whether these are doctors with dodgy degrees or those who have little to no background in modern medicine, and yet they put Dr in front of their name and run clinics where they deal with most complex is precisely because doctors are overworked in India that their patients should use AI to double-check their diagnostic opinions and suggested treatments. Doctors, irrespective of what we feel about them and how we revere them, are humans at the end of the day. They are prone to making the same mistakes that any human would make in a challenging work finally, because many doctors in India — not all, but many — tend to overdo their treatment and diagnostic tests, we should double-check them with AI. Next time, when you get a CT scan, also show it to ChatGPT and then discuss with your doctor if the AI is telling you something different. In the last one year, again and again, research has highlighted that AI is extremely good at diagnosis. Just earlier this month, a new study by a team at Microsoft found that their MAI-DxO — a specially-tuned AI system for medical diagnosis — outperformed human doctors. Compared to 21 doctors who were part of the study and who were correct in only 20 per cent of cases, MAI-DxO was correct in 85 per cent of cases in its none of this is to say that you should replace your doctor with ChatGPT. Absolutely not. Good doctors are indeed precious and their consultation is priceless. They will also be better with subtleties of the human body compared to any AI system. But in the coming months and years, I have a feeling that doctors in India will launch a tirade against AI, similar to how they once fought Dr they will shame and harangue their patients for using ChatGPT for a second opinion. When that happens, we should push back. Indian doctors are not used to questions, they don't like to explain, they don't want to be second-guessed or double-checked. And that is exactly why we should ask them questions, seek explanations and double-check them, if needed, even with the help of ChatGPT.(Javed Anwer is Technology Editor, India Today Group Digital. Latent Space is a weekly column on tech, world, and everything in between. The name comes from the science of AI and to reflect it, Latent Space functions in the same way: by simplifying the world of tech and giving it a context)- Ends(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Trending Reel
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Business Standard
30 minutes ago
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World Hepatitis Day 2025: What it is, why it matters, what you can do
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Pigeon 1, MCD 0: Why Delhiites won't stop feeding their feathered friends
At 9 am, Muhammad Yunus fixes his blue umbrella near Delhi Gate on Asaf Ali Road. Methodically, he lays out plates filled with a spread of green and black gram, dried corn and namkeen. He then waits for customers — the dozens of people who stop at his roadside stall to feed pigeons. 'I sell roasted gram for Rs 10-20, depending on the demand. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sent us challans, asking us to vacate the area,' says Yunus, who has been running his tiny stall at this spot for the last 15 years. Soon after, Sudha Pandey arrives with a Rs 10 note. She buys a cup of roasted gram for the birds. 'I have been coming here for seven days now to pray for my husband who is admitted in the hospital. When we feed someone, they bless us,' she says. In a letter dated July 8, the MCD's health department asked the veterinary department to control the Capital's burgeoning pigeon population. This followed warnings about pigeon faeces causing respiratory and fungal infections and the need to control their population. The issue of the birds being a public menace and causing diseases also became a topic of discussion in the civic body's Standing Committee in a meeting on June 27. Last year, the MCD had said that public feeding of pigeons, which leads to the population of the birds increasing beyond the carrying capacity of an area, would be checked. In a similar move earlier this month, the Maharashtra government had directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to close kabootar khanas or pigeon feeding spots in the city, citing serious health hazards due to pigeon droppings and feathers. According to Dr Vikas Maurya, senior director and head of Pulmonology at Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, pigeon droppings are the root cause of many diseases in India. 'These can cause fungal and bacterial diseases such as Campylobacter, allergic reactions such as sneezing, running nose, itching eyes as well as Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, which can eventually cause lung fibrosis,' he says. 'Hawkers don't even realise that being exposed to the birds for so long is harmful. The rampant increase in pigeon population needs to be controlled,' he adds. Tradition and faith, however, mean that enforcement is tough. 'The civic body cannot completely ban pigeon feeding activities in Delhi. Also, as of now, we do not have any plan to construct designated pigeon feeding areas,' a senior MCD official says. Over the past three months, however, the MCD has put up announcement boards at popular feeding spots to warn people. The Indian Express visited some spots where bird feeders gather regularly. Shastri Park Almost 20 km from Delhi Gate, MCD workers clean polythene bags with pigeon feed lying on the pavement at Shastri Park. As vehicles pass by, dried pigeon excrement and loose feathers fly in the air. 'We ask people not to feed birds here, but they don't listen… They keep flocking to the area, pigeon feed in hand,' one of the MCD workers says. The worker adds that occasionally, pigeons are captured and taken to a veterinary hospital in Teliwara Shahdara, where they are kept in a cage. Rajghat Ramjeet, who feeds pigeons everyday while on the way to his office near Rajghat, is unconcerned about the MCD's directive. 'If the MCD wants us to stop, they should build some designated feeding spots facilities. We will go there.' The feeding spot he has chosen is in the central verge of two busy roads going towards ITO and ISBT Kashmere Gate. The pigeons flock to the centre of the large open space as soon as passersby stop to empty a sack of grain. Two hawkers, who sell grains here, keep their ware hidden, as a nearby MCD board reads — 'No Feeding Zone'. Chittaranjan Park For residents staying near Chittaranjan Park in Southeast Delhi, the pigeon feeding spot located near B Block has been a major cause of concern. Feathers, dried faeces, grains, sometimes even dead birds, are routinely found at the spot. The feeders, they claim, pay no heed to traffic rules, parking their vehicles in the middle of the road – sometimes also in the wrong direction – to feed birds. A resident of Nehru Apartments, Satish Kumar, says the birds fly low near the feeding spot, resulting in injuries to many motorists. 'We can't walk around the feeding spot, it smells. The food that rots there has led to an increase in the rat population; the rodents sometimes enter our homes too… Moreover, pigeons build nests in our balconies, which are also full of dried faeces,' he adds. Piyush Prasad, the RWA president of Nehru Apartments, says many pigeons die when vehicles hit them. 'This has led to an increase in the feline population as well, since they feed on the carcass.'
