ESIC Patna FMG interns awaiting Stipend for 8 Months seek govt intervention

Patna: More than 128 Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) interns at Employment State Insurance Corporation Medical College and Hospital (ESICMCH) at Bihta in Patna have been waiting for the promised stipend for the last eight months.

As per the existing rules, after completing their medical courses abroad, the FMGs need to undergo internship in India to be able to get permanent registration and get license to practice in India. During their internship, the FMG interns work for more than eight hours a day which at times, extends up to more than 12 hours during night shift.

While each FMG interns at ESIC Bihta gets Rs 3 lakh per year (approximately Rs 30,070 per month) for the internship, the FMG interns were last paid a stipend in July of last year.

In this regard, the doctors have sought the intervention of the Union Health Minister and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for the early payment of their stipend.

The medical graduates from abroad have expressed their hope that LoP Gandhi, who will visit Patna on April 7 to attend 'Samvidhan Sammelan' will raise the matter.

Also Read: Supreme Court orders 5 Jharkhand Medical Colleges to Pay Rs 25K Stipend to FMG Interns

Commenting on this, an FMG intern told The New Indian Express, "Since our institution is an autonomous body of the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, Rahul raising the issue matters."

Highlighting the hardships they face due to the non-payment of stipend, one of the FMG interns, Ankesh told the Daily, "You can imagine the plight of the interns to not receive the payment for the last eight months. We have to 'arrange' to meet the expenses."

Another FMG, on the condition of anonymity, asked, "If you work for more than 12 hours a day and don’t get payment (internship) on time, for how long can one survive?"

Most of the interns informed that they had to borrow money from their relatives and acquaintances. Referring to this, Balram Kumar said, "Asking for monetary help from somebody hurts our feelings."

In order to complete their medical education in foreign countries like Russia and Kyrgyzstan, the FMG interns and their families have to spend more than Rs 30 lakh on their education. After joining ESIC, they were hoping to get paid on time. However, now they have been waiting for months for the payment of stipend.

Meanwhile, when asked about the situation, the Dean of ESIC Medical College and Hospital Dr. Binay Kumar Biswas said that the interns were never promised a stipend. He added, "Interns are levelling false allegations against the ESIC Medical College and Hospital authorities."

He further claimed that at the time of joining the institute, the FMG interns had submitted to the concerned authorities that stipend would only be provided in cash if such a decision or order were available from the institute. However, he also added that the matter was under process. He told TNIE, "A final decision will be taken very soon."

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that these FMGs were promised to be paid Rs 30,070 per month, as per the memorandum issued by the Ministry of Labour and Government of India on October 30, 2024.

Even though they are set to complete their internship by July 2025, the payment of stipend is still pending. Facing severe financial strain due to the non-payment of their dues, the interns filed a plea in the Patna High Court, seeking intervention against both the Union Government and the medical college administration.

Also Read: ESIC Medical College Patna FMG Interns awaiting stipend for 8 months