Stipend Disparity for Private Medical College Interns- Maha FRA Chief issued warrant From HC

Nagpur: The Chairman of the Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) was recently issued a Rs 10 bailable warrant by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court for failing to appear in a case concerning stipend disparities for interns in private medical colleges. The HC bench ordered the warrant to be returnable by March 13, the next date of the hearing.

Asking why the interns at the private medical institutes are not receiving the Rs 18,000 monthly stipend as mandated by the Government through a resolution dated February 27, 2024, the Division bench of Justices Avinash Gharote and Abhay Mantri sought explanation in this regard from the FRA Chairman, TOI has reported.

These directions were issued by the High Court bench while considering a plea filed by a group of students. Their counsel Ashwin Deshpande argued that the interns at private unaided institutes receive only Rs 4000 per month, significantly lower than their counterparts in government-run and grant-in-aid colleges, who get Rs 18,000 as a monthly stipend.

Also Read: Now MBBS interns at Private Medical Colleges in Maharashtra to get Rs 18k stipend

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, filing the plea, the petitioners demanded uniform stipend payments across all institutes, as per the Government's directive covering medical, dental, Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy interns.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that last year in July, the State Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) had issued a directive stating that the interns from the private medical colleges should be paid Rs 18,000 per month as a stipend. Back then, while issuing the directive, the DMER had asked the private medical colleges in Maharashtra to submit a detailed report regarding stipends.

The State had issued the directive when the parents of the medical institutes had claimed that barring one or two medical institutes, the private medical colleges in Maharashtra never paid its interns "a decent amount".

In their plea, the medicos, who pursued their medical education from NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences (NKPIMS), pointed out that they received only Rs 4,000 per month as their stipend while the medicos at the Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals and the government-aided colleges receive Rs 18,000 per month.

TOI has reported that during the hearing of the matter on Tuesday, the counsel for the petitioners, highlighted a communication from the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) dated July 10, 2024, instructing all the non-government colleges to pay stipends following the National Medical Commission's notification dated November 18, 2021.

On the other hand, the counsel for NKPSIMS, Advocate Rohan Deo, argued that the stipend amounts varied across private medical colleges and were fixed by the Fee Regulating Authority. In this regard, he relied on the MBBS fee computation for 2024-2025, which sets the stipend at Rs 5,454 for the NKPSIMS interns.

Taking note of the submission, the HC bench emphasized the need for the FRA to respond, as it held the authority to assess and standardize stipends while determining institutional fees.

"Since parity is being claimed, the Fee Regulating Authority must comment on the matter and consider the claim while deciding the fees," observed the bench.

With this direction, the High Court bench adjourned the matter for further hearing till March 13 after lawyer Rahul Bhangde, who appeared on behalf of the National Medical Commission (NMC), sought additional time to present further submissions.

Also Read: Stipend hike: MBBS interns in Maharashtra GMCs now to get Rs 18k per month