Putting India's future doctors on the right track

At 8 am, Kherosana Devi Shadokpam began another day at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, where the 24-year-old medical student from India was completing her clinical internship. It marks a new stage in a journey that brought her to Kunming, Yunnan province, in April 2023. Back then, even ordering food or asking for directions could be difficult because of the language barrier.

After several years of study, she passed HSK Level 4. She spends weekdays at the hospital, putting what she has learned in the classroom into practice. "I have to make sure that my time management is on the right track," Shadokpam said. During her internship, she has far less free time than before.

Shadokpam is one of 25 Indian students studying clinical medicine in English at Kunming Medical University. Although their number is relatively small today, Indian students have long been part of the university's international medical education program.

Since it began admitting international students in 1998, the university has trained about 3,500 students from 67 countries. More than 500 international students are currently enrolled, with India ranking sixth among their countries of origin, Liu Yajie, dean of the School of International Education at Kunming Medical University, said.

Over the years, 510 Indian students have studied in its English-taught Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, or MBBS, program. India's National Medical Commission has accredited the program.

Liu said it had also aligned its training with medical education standards in major source countries, including India. Its 31 training programs, spanning undergraduate, master's and doctoral education, are supported by quality standards for 76 courses. For the Indian students, those standards mattered because studying medicine abroad was closely tied to what came next in their careers.

Azeem, 21, from Delhi, checked whether the university was listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools before applying, an important consideration because he hoped to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination eventually.

Varsha Choudhary, 20, who arrived in October 2025, also weighed the quality of education, technology and relatively affordable tuition compared with Western countries before choosing China.

"It's a great opportunity, but it requires full commitment, dedication and hard work," she said, adding that Indian students also needed to prepare for licensing examinations back home.

That concern was reflected in the university's training. More than 80 percent of its Indian MBBS students who graduated in 2025 had passed India's medical licensing examination, according to the university.

Beyond preparing for a medical career, studying abroad also meant learning to live independently.

Azeem arrived in Kunming knowing little more Chinese than "ni hao". An Afghan roommate who spoke Chinese helped him find his way around campus and buy a SIM card. "I can be independent here, which is the most important point for me," Azeem said. "Being independent helps me develop a lot of perspective about the world."

Such experiences reflected the university's efforts to combine medical education with opportunities for international students to engage with Chinese society and culture. Chinese language and China-focused courses were included in their studies, while activities outside the classroom introduced them to different aspects of life in Yunnan.

Choudhary attended a campus food festival and tried kung fu, one of China's best-known cultural traditions internationally. "I explored kung fu and even tried a few moves myself," she said.

For Shadokpam, one of those encounters began with a cup of tea. A Chinese teacher introduced her to the rituals of preparing and drinking Chinese tea, in contrast to the milk tea she was accustomed to in India.

But some of her most personal exchanges happened around the dinner table. Shadokpam introduced Chinese friends to eromba, a traditional dish from her home state made by mashing boiled vegetables with chilies and commonly fermented fish. In return, they taught her how to make Chinese dumplings.

"We realize we're not so different — and that goes a long way," she said.