Jharkhand FMGs Await Internship Stipend Despite Supreme Court Order

Dhanbad: Even six months after the Supreme Court directed to pay the Foreign Medical Graduates, undergoing internship in India, at par with Indian Medical Graduates, the FMGs undergoing internships in the government medical colleges across Jharkhand are yet to receive their stipends.

This is the situation for the Jharkhand FMGs, while FMG interns in Gujarat and several other states have reportedly already started receiving their stipends.

The existing rules require the medical graduates from abroad to clear the screening test i.e. Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) and undergo internship in India to be allowed to practice medicine here. However, often the medical graduates from abroad do not receive any stipend for their internship period.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that earlier this year, the Supreme Court had directed five medical colleges in Jharkhand to pay a stipend of Rs 25,000 per month to FMGs completing their internship at these institutes.

The ruling applies to five medical colleges in Jharkhand namely Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital (SNMMCH), Dhanbad, Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital (PJMCH), Dumka, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH), Hazaribagh, Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH), Palamu.

Additionally, the Supreme Court had issued directives to the Jharkhand Medical Council (JMC) and the Directorate of Medical Education, Jharkhand to ensure compliance with the order.

The order, issued while hearing writ petitions filed by FMG interns, mandated that the FMGs be compensated at par with Indian Medical Graduate (MBBS) interns in accordance with the National Medical Commission (NMC) circular issued on July 12, 2023. The court also warned that failure to implement the NMC directive could lead to adverse action against the concerned medical colleges and universities.

Again, in another judgment, while considering the issue of non-oayment of stipend to Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) during the compulsory internship, the Supreme Court said thar the FMGs cannot be treated differently and should be paid stipends during their internship like their counterparts who have done MBBS from the Indian medical colleges.

This observation was made by the top court bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Prasanna Bhalachandra after taking note of the submissions of lawyer Tanvi Dubey, appearing for a group of doctors, that foreign medical graduates in certain medical colleges are not being paid stipends during their internships.

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

As per the latst media report by The Jharkhand Story, on July 30, 2025, the State Director of Medical Education issued a letter to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, and principals of five medical colleges—MGMMCH Jamshedpur, SNMMCH Dhanbad, PJMCH Dumka, SBMCH Hazaribagh, and MMCH Palamu and sought the details of stipends to be paid to FMG interns. The DME also sought a list of all the medical graduates from abroad completing their internships since July 1, 2023.

Confirming this, SNMMCH Dhanbad Superintendent Dr. Dinesh Kumar Gindauria and PJMCH Dumka officials informed the Daily that they have already submitted their reports to the Health Department. However, even after these submissions, the FMG interns in Jharkhand are yet to receive any stipend.

Currently, the FMG interns at RIMS Ranchi receive Rs 26,400 per month as stipend. The FMG interns in MGMMCH Jamshedpur, SNMMCH Dhanbad, PJMCH Dumka, SBMCH Hazaribagh, and MMCH Palamu receive Rs 17,500 per month. However, the FMGs working working alongside MBBS interns in these same institutes have not been compensated yet.

Meanwhile, reportedly, Gujarat has already started paying stipend to the FMG interns. Rajesh Khetan, former secretary of the Gujarat FMGs Parents Association, confirmed that the January batch of FMG interns has received stipends, and the latest batch is expected to be paid soon.

Also Read: Supreme Court relief: FMGs to now get stipend during internship as Indian MBBS interns