BJ Medical College allegedly charges Rs 1 lakh internship fee, provides no stipend to students despite NMC order
Ahmedabad: Although the National Medical Commission (NMC) has strictly barred the medical institutes from charging any internship fee from the MBBS interns, the medicos enrolled at Ahmedabad-based BJ Medical College (BJMC) have alleged that the Institute has been violating the NMC rules by charging Rs 1 lakh for internship.
In fact, the medicos have also claimed that the Institute is in violation of the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) 2021 rules, as it is allegedly denying to pay them any stipend.
Already writing to the Dean of the Institute, around 135 MBBS students of the Institute have demanded refunds for the fees, reports TOI.
However, the Institute on the other hand has claimed that the NMC directions does not apply to these students as they had been enrolled in January, long before NMC set the rules in this regard.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that last month, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had directed all the State Medical Councils and Directorates of Medical Education (DME) for taking necessary action against medical institutes, which were charging Internship fee from the Indian and FMG interns and denying to pay them stipend.
In this regard, the NMC circular dated May 19, 2022 read, "It has been brought into the notice of the National Medical Commission through various sources that some medical colleges/ institutes across the country are charging internship fee from the interns, Indian and Foreign Medical Graduates for doing their internship in their colleges/ institutes and also not paying stipend to them."
"All State Medical Councils and Directorates of Medical Education are requested to kindly take immediate necessary action in this regard and ensure that no internship fee is charged by the medical colleges/ institutes from these interns Indian and Foreign Medical Graduates and stipend including other facilities is being provided to FMGs as equivalent to Indian Medical Graduates in the States/ UTs," it added.
Such directions on the part of NMC had been issued in continuation with its previous instructions given to the Medical Institutes in India, Earlier this year, the Apex Medical Body had clarified that the Institutes shall not charge any fees from the medical graduates abroad for permitting them to pursue Internship training in India. NMC had also directed the colleges to pay them equal stipend like the Indian Medical Graduates who are being trained at Government Institutes.
The reason for such relief on NMC's part was the fact that the medical graduates from abroad were facing hardship in getting themselves registered in some of the State medical Councils after publication of Foreign Medical Graduates Licentiate Regulations, 2021 and Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship Regulations, 2021 by National Medical Commission.
However, despite the relief provided by NMC, the students belonging to B J Medical College have alleged that the Institute has charged Rs 1 lakh as Internship fees and it has also denied paying them any stipend.
As per the latest media report by the Times of India, the college administration, on the other hand, has denied violating any rules and claimed that they have charged the students on the basis of a State government notification.
While commenting on the matter, the Dean of the Institute, Kalpesh Shah told TOI, "According to the state government notification issued in 2006, colleges have been clearly instructed to charge Rs 1 lakh for students who have studied abroad and are doing internships at local colleges. Moreover, these students have been admitted in the non-stipend category, so they are not eligible for stipends."
He further clarified that the May 19 notification issued by the Apex Medical Body would not be applicable for the MBBS interns concerned as they had been admitted back in January.
Also Read: Setback to MBBS Abroad candidates: SC upholds new NMC norms on FMG, CRMI
