Jamaican students landed in the middle of a horrifying war between Russia and Ukraine all because they were ambitious enough to pursue a higher education at a more affordable cost.

The medical students had to choose between Jamaica, the land of their birth, and Ukraine, which is thousands of miles away from everyone and everything they know.

At The University of the West Indies (UWI), tuition for medicine is US$28,000, and when subsidised by Government, that goes down to US$5,800 yearly. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the tuition ranges from just US$3,500.

A Calabar High School past student, who is currently a third-year medical student in Kharviv, Ukraine, said he is paying US$3,500 for tuition.

A 20-year-old student, who is a graduate of Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha”, is studying medicine at Kiev Medical University in Ukraine. Though her mother didn’t reveal her tuition, she told the Sunday Observer that it is much cheaper in Ukraine.

“The kids have the grades, but we just could not pay for them to do it in Jamaica,” she told the Jamaica Observer, noting that her daughter is in the country along with two other Alpha past students.

Nicole Senior’s 21-year-old niece is a medical student of Kharviv International Medical University.

“She is there to study medicine because it’s cheaper, significantly so. She had excellent grades for medicine here but at $US28,000 and up, it was unattainable. It (Ukraine) was emerging as a great option for Jamaican students,” she said. “Other students wanted to come back but money is also an issue. They have invested in their education, plus the feeling on the ground was calm.”

Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) President Dr Mindi Fitz-Henley told the Sunday Observer that there has always been a long-standing issue in terms of affordability of tertiary education locally.

“Unfortunately, it’s not a new situation, but it is something that definitely needs to be sorted out because it cannot be that what is holding people back from acquiring all of this knowledge that is well-needed in Jamaica is funds. There is very limited number of sponsored spaces and the difference between the sponsored and unsponsored students is very significant,” she said.

Fitz-Henley added: “It’s very significant and I don’t know who they think can afford $3 million. That’s just per year. So, even if you get a loan and scrounge up your money, you now need to do that for five years. That is almost impossible for the majority of persons. And especially if it is the case that you have been really trying your best and know that that is what is holding you back. It is very heart-breaking.”

Shereika Mills, policy and advocacy coordinator for Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) agreed, saying tuition in Jamaica is too high, if students are regularly looking to leave their homes and families to go abroad for no other reason than to be able to afford an education.

“It’s not lost on us that most of the students that leave are pursuing degrees that in Jamaica are quoted in US dollars and subject to fluctuating exchange rates. Students have been lobbying for years to have this removed, and for an explanation as to why the fees have to be quoted in US dollars. Students are further encouraged to look for cheaper options because the return on education investment is low in a country that doesn’t have adequate employment options,” Mills told the Sunday Observer.

Reverend Stephen Smith, guidance counsellor at Calabar said at present, he knows of three Calabar past students who are studying in Ukraine because of cost.

“Hence, we need to reexamine the cost of higher education in Jamaica so that our students don’t have to pack up and leave to go and pursue higher education. Outside of those who are in the Ukraine, there are a number of other past students who have opted to study abroad because of affordability. I have heard of the government reviewing the education system, and I would suggest they speed it up as they are speeding up Portmore.”

Mills said the cheapest option will always be the best option for students that are coming back to either unemployment or a combination of poor pay and poor treatment in the health-care sector.

“We already have this situation with droves of students leaving the country every year, so at this point, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to create some guidelines, or policy, that speaks to their obligations and commitments to Jamaican students who are in universities abroad, and specifically mention the extent of intervention to expect in cases of emergencies, like COVID or an impending war.”

Mills added that: “The solutions offered so far are untenable for these students, and we think there can be further dialogue and more effort made by the ministry to come up with a solution that will actually work for them.”

Fitz-Henley stressed that the students are only in this situation because of a quest for self-betterment that seems unattainable in their own country.

“The feelings right now, that they’re there in the middle of a war and unable to get home; I can only imagine the amount of fear that they’re feeling now. And desperation in just trying to get home, and then you have your family members here who sometimes you’re not able to get through to, so you’re not sure of their safety.”

Fitz-Henley told the Sunday Observer that students end up going overseas “whether in Eastern or Western Europe.” She said the students try to seek alternative locations.

“We know that students also go to Russia, students also go to Cuba, students go all over. But when they come back, they still have to do alternative exams called CAMC examinations because their syllabus is different from what we are doing here. That is determined by the Medical Council of Jamaica,” she said.

The syllabus for CAMC registration exam includes detailed requirements for examination in the major disciplines of internal medicine (including psychiatry and community medicine) and therapeutics; obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery (including all subspecialties of surgery) and paediatric medicine.

The candidate is expected to demonstrate a complete grasp of all the above subjects and would be deemed eligible to practise independently.

Meanwhile, Dr Adela Campbell, dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica, told the Sunday Observer that students aren’t the only people leaving Jamaica. She said practitioners are also running to other countries.

“A new phenomenon that we are currently faced with is the lack of loyalty to the health system by some nurses who are trained locally. There is really no obligation on their part to serve the country for a period of time. This is a situation we wish we had control of, especially to strengthen the capacity.

“By and large, this is due to the fact that the individual suffered financial hardship to offset the cost of tuition or was a beneficiary of the Student’s Loan Bureau, and now wish to repay the loan or recoup the funds expended. This phenomenon has resulted in the perennial problem of mass migration of health practitioners such as nurses to other countries.”

Campbell said the unfortunate debacle in Ukraine has caused her to reflect on the number of health practitioners who have benefited from training in that country.

“Why are Jamaican health practitioners trained in countries such as the Ukraine? I will share my own experience. I studied in New Zealand. Thanks to New Zealand Aid. Through a Commonwealth Scholarship, I was able to complete doctoral work. Why am I so grateful? The truth is, at the time, the course of study was not offered in Jamaica or the Caribbean. Such achievement was unreachable, and would have incurred severe financial hardship for those wishing to be so qualified,” she recalled.

She said tuition fees vary across the region.

“For example, in Belize, the cost for training a registered nurse is US$15,000.00; and in St Vincent and the Grenadines, EC$84,300. In Jamaica, however, cost for training varies across schools of nursing and may be over $500,000 per year. Of note, it is that tuition is subjected to change each year and may vary according to levels. And it is the case that sometimes programmes are not available in Jamaica and as such, prospective students are forced to seek training opportunities overseas,” she said.