Now Puducherry Private Medical College Students to Get Stipend on par with State-run Medical Colleges

Puducherry: Bringing good news to the MBBS and postgraduate medical students at Puducherry, the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare has directed seven private medical colleges and deemed medical universities in the Union Territory (UT) to pay UG and PG medical students stipends on par with the State-run medical colleges. 

The concerned medical colleges have been directed to comply with this direction from the academic year 2023-2024. Issuing orders in this regard on Wednesday i.e. September 4, the Director of Health and Family Welfare (Incharge) Dr S Sevvel has specified that the UG medical students will have to be paid Rs 20,000 per month stipend during their internship period.

The postgraduate medical students, on the other hand, will get Rs 43,000 stipend during first year, Rs 45,000 during second year and Rs 47,000 during their third year of study, as per the Government order.

Also Read: 4 Medical Colleges slapped NMC show cause notice over alleged non-payment of stipends

As per the latest media report by Edex Live, Dr Sevvel further informed that the Government has also ordered the private medical colleges to upload the order on the website of the respective medical colleges and on the notice board for at least 31 days, so that the students become well aware of the stipend rates fixed by the Government of Puducherry.

Apart from this, the medical colleges have also been directed by the Government to submit the stipend details applicable for the UG and PG medical students for the academic year 2023-2024 along with the necessary proof.

The UT Government's order comes after the National Medical Commission issued an order in 2022, noting that a few medical colleges/institutes across India were charging internship fees from the interns, Indian and Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) to get enrolled in the internship programme at their college/institutes. The Commission had also highlighted how such colleges were also not paying any stipend to the medical students.

Back then, through the notice dated 19.05.2022, NMC had directed the State Medical Councils and Directorates of Medical Education to take necessary action and ensure that medical colleges/institutes did not charge internship fee from the interns, Indian and Foreign Medical Graduates and they were provided with stipend including other facilities.

The Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER) 2023 also mentions that the PG medical students in a particular State/UT are paid uniform stipend.

Also Read: Non-payment of stipend, Lack of seats, 3-year internship rule: Doctors meet NMC officials to raise issues of FMGs