Fierce competition for university places has driven a Preston medical student to the Czech Republic to study.

Komel Ali, 20, of Dukes Meadow, Ingol, has just started a six-year medicine degree in Prague, after failing to get on on a similar course at Manchester University.

Komel, who attended Kirkham Grammar School, got a place at Charles University, the Czech equivalent of Oxford, after passing the entrance exam.

Her lessons are taught in English, but she is learning Czech to help her talk to patients in her third year.

"My dream is to be a doctor and I will do anything it takes to be one, even if means moving to a different country," said Komel, who left behind mum, Razia, dad, Mazhar, and brother, Imran, at home in Preston.

Komel found out about the course through an agency, the Czech Medical University Courses Admission Service (CMUCAS), in Worcestershire, which has helped more than 1,000 students over the past 10 years organise studies in the Czech Republic. CMUCAS director, Hekmat Kaveh, said: "There are plenty of intelligent people that are more than capable of studying medicine but don't get the opportunity because of the amount of competition to get the highest grades.

"Just because Komel didn't get the grades the university needed doesn't mean she should be punished for this."

Komel said she believed British universities need more provision for medical students. "The competition is so fierce with so may people wanting to study medicine but just because people just missed out on getting the grades doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to do it," she said.

Dr Alastair Campbell, medical director of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, agreed that competition can make it difficult for students.

"There is enormous competition for places at medical school, which despite recent government initiatives, means people who want to study medicine cannot always be offered places at universities here."

Andrew Pearson, deputy chair of the BMA's Medical Students Committee, agreed. He said: "It's unsurprising that we're starting to hear about students going overseas to study medicine.

"There's a lot of competition for places in British medical schools, as well as high living costs."

Komel's original first choice had been The University of Manchester's Medical School.

Dean Professor Andrew Garner said: "Manchester Medical School publicises its selection criteria widely. Factors such as the applicant's commitment to medicine, work experience, leadership, team-working and communication skills and qualities of determination, conscientiousness, humanity and humility are all considered, alongside their intellectual achievements and potential."