48-year-old Sapid Sirohi entered the medical institute in 1991 and graduated it in 1998. Later he specialized in radiology in India. Today he is the head of one of the largest diagnostic centers in his city (“Sirohi Scan Center”).
“We warmly remember the years of our education in Armenia. We started with a preparatory course in Russian, which we successfully completed thanks to the lecturers, then we entered the first year. There were 8-10 students in our group, that’s why the lecturer had the opportunity to pay attention to each of us. Even when at first we did not understand Russian very well, the language specialists took lessons with us, translating them for us”, Sandeep Sirohi tells.
According to him, the Armenian people are very hospitable: they always welcome foreigners warmly.
“We also loved Armenians very much. Despite the fact that it was a difficult period for Armenia, the university always supported us, trying to improve our living conditions to some extent”, the Indian graduate recalls, emphasizing that they felt very safe and secure in Armenia.
Among the universities of the Soviet Union, he assures, YSMI provided the best medical education.
“Specialists in Armenia were very fluent in English and provided English literature, which facilitated our learning. The knowledge gained here helped us a lot in the future”, Sandeep Sirohi adds.
His 50-year-old sister, Seema Sirohi, is a gynecologist. She graduated from the medical university in 1996 with a red diploma. Becoming a doctor was her childhood dream. Now she has her own clinic (“Bijnor”), also in Meerut.
“Sandeep was thinking about becoming a soldier, but I was so fascinated by medical education in Armenia that I persuaded my brother to choose the profession of a doctor. I liked the country and the warm reception of the people very much. Yervand Sahakyan, Vice-Rector for External Affairs and International Partnerships, was our Dean at that time. He treated us like his children․ We were like a family. When we were sick, the lecturers paid special attention to us”, Seema Sirohi says, adding that every year an Indian festival of lights, the Diwali, was celebrated with the participation of students.
When talking about the wars in Artsakh, Indian graduates are unable to hold back tears, emphasizing that everyone in our country is so close to their heart.
Sandeep and Seema Sirohi are expected guests of medical university. They advised their niece, 25-year-old Malika, to continue her postgraduate education at YSMU, specializing in dermatology.
YSMU graduates visited Armenia 2 years ago, and they plan to return to our country 6 months later.
Author: Tatevik Ghazaryan