No Stipend but Rs 5000 Internship Fee for Private BAMS Students in Maharashtra, NIMA Urges State Govt to Reconsider
Nagpur: Around 4,000 Ayurveda Interns belonging to private Ayurveda colleges in Maharashtra are allegedly facing a financial burden as they are required to pay Rs 5000 as internship training fees.
Further, these BAMS interns do not receive any stipend for their work during the internship when their colleagues belonging to the government institutes or government-aided colleges receive Rs 11,000 as a monthly stipend. Among the 84 Ayurveda medical colleges in Maharashtra, 49 institutes are Private-run unaided institutes.
Raising the issue, the National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA) Student Forum Nagpur Branch has now written to the State Government and seeking fairness in the process of collecting Internship training fees.
"Ayurveda students in the state have raised concerns over the internship training fees imposed on them, specifically those studying at unaided Ayurveda colleges. In a joint effort to address this issue, a request letter has been sent to the highest authorities in the state, including the Honorable Governor, Honorable Chief Minister, Honorable Deputy Chief Minister, and the Minister of Medical Education," NIMA mentioned in a Press Release dated October 08, 2023.
"The current situation highlights a disparity in fees between students studying at government, aided and unaided Ayurveda colleges. Students in unaided colleges are being charged an internship training fee of Rs. 5,000, while their counterparts in aided colleges receive a stipend of Rs. 11,000, with no extra internship fee. This discrepancy has placed an undue financial burden on the shoulders of Ayurveda interns in unaided colleges," the release further mentioned.
"There are 4,000 Ayurveda interns working in the State right now and they have to pay Rs 5000 as an internship fee for doing their internship for one year. It is a problem for unaided Ayurveda colleges only in Maharashtra. There are 49 Ayurveda colleges which are private and not funded by the government. They are called unaided Ayurveda colleges. So, this kind of fee is applicable to these 4,000 students only," Dr Shubham Bobde, the Divisional Secretary (Nagpur) of NIMA, Maharashtra State, told Medical Dialogues.
When asked which authorities collect this internship fee, he mentioned, "It is collected by the District Health Officer and District Civil Surgeon."
Addressing the issue, the Press Release by NIMA mentioned, "The internship training period for these students lasts one year, during which they gain valuable experience through hands-on clinical work. However, the cost structure for this training is not equitable. The students are charged Rs. 2,500 by the district civil surgeon for three months of training at a rural hospital and another Rs. 2,500 by the district health officer for three months of training at a primary health center."
Dr. Subham also explained how Ayurveda interns from Government Colleges and aided institutes do not have to pay any kind of internship fee and added, "They also get paid a monthly stipend of Rs 11,000 for the internship. So, this is a clear discrimination." Apart from the State Government officials, NIMA has also submitted a copy of the letter to the local authorities including the District Health Officer Nagpur, and the District Civil Surgeon Nagpur, Dr. Subham informed.
"As the Divisional Secretary of the NIMA Students Forum, I request the State Government to immediately scrap the Internship fee and provide a stipend to the students. Most of these students come from farmer family backgrounds, or they belong to rural families. So, we demand also the stipend because they are doing their duties for hours, and they are giving night duties at government hospitals. So, they have also the right to ask for a stipend," he further mentioned.
When asked if they received any response from the Government officials, Dr. Subham mentioned that the Deputy CM's office has said that they will work on it.
"It is essential to ensure that all Ayurveda students, regardless of whether they study at government, aided or unaided colleges, have access to fair and affordable internship training. The request letter urges the state authorities to consider a more balanced and inclusive approach to the fee structure, which would alleviate the financial burden currently faced by students studying at unaided Ayurveda colleges," NIMA added in the Press Release.
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