Govt, private MBBS interns demand parity in stipend (2024)

Mumbai The much-awaited orientation for the recently graduated MBBS students is taking place across medical institutes in the state. However, the difference in stipend being offered by these institutes to the interns has once again raised objections.

While government medical colleges (GMCs) are paying a monthly stipend of ₹11,000 to their MBBS interns, several private medical institutes are not doing the same.

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“Internships are compulsory for all. While our fellow students in GMCs are paid a stipend, our institute has clarified that no stipend will be paid, which is unfair,” said a student of a Jalgaon-based private medical college. He added that at their orientation to the internship programme, the college said that stipend will not be paid.

In the early 2019, the Medical Council of India (dissolved later that year and renamed National Medical Commission) had released a public notice clarifying that all MBBS students pursuing the compulsory rotating internship at the institute where their MBBS course was completed will be paid stipend at par with the interns at GMCs. This notice, however, was not converted to a gazette until MCI was dissolved, leaving the rule only on paper.

Recently, the NMC released a circular directing all medical institutes to not charge internship fees from Indian as well as foreign medical graduates (FMG). While it mentions that colleges should pay a stipend, no mention of the amount has been made.

“This is leading to more confusion. Some colleges in the state like Palghar’s Vedanta Medical College have decided to pay only ₹5,000 as monthly stipend, whereas Pune-based Kashibai Navale Medical College has decided to cover lodging and boarding costs for students. There is no uniformity in place,” said another student.

Calls to Vedanta Medical College as well as Kashibai Navale Medical College have gone unanswered.

A senior official at DMER said they have received some complaints and are looking into the matter. In the meantime, parents and students have started approaching central government authorities to raise their concern.

“Either the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) or the NMC need to release a clear statement about the status of stipend for MBBS interns. Without such an official notice, many students in private medical colleges will end up working without any stipend for the next one year. Even the Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) can get involved because they give fee approval taking into account stipends for medical interns,” said Brijesh Sutaria, parent of an MBBS intern.

• ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  

  Shreya Bhandary

  Shreya Bhandary is a Special Correspondent covering higher education for Hindustan Times, Mumbai. Her work revolves around finding loopholes in the current education system and highlighting the good and the bad in higher education institutes in and around Mumbai.