Doctors laud NMC move seeking stipend details from medical colleges
New Delhi: Doctors are hopeful about the recent move by the National Medical Commission (NMC), asking medical colleges across the country to submit the details of stipends paid to the MBBS interns and resident doctors. Hailing the move, the members of the medical fraternity have expressed their hope that this move will bring transparency as the medical colleges will now have to reveal the status of the stipend paid to the doctors.
Medical Dialogues had been reporting about the complaints from MBBS interns and resident doctors alleging that they were not receiving stipend or receiving a meagre amount despite working in the hospitals round the clock. These complaints mainly come from medical students belonging to the private medical colleges.
Recently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) asked the medical colleges to submit the details of the stipend paid to their UG Interns, Post-Graduate Residents, and Senior Residents or PGs in Super Specialty for the financial year 2023-24 by 23rd April 2024.
The medical colleges will have to submit the details of their name and address, the amount of stipend paid by the State Government, and the month-wise details of the stipend paid to the MBBS interns, 1st/2nd/3rd-year Post-Graduate Residents, and 1st/2nd/3rd-year Senior Residents or PGs in Super Specialty for the academic year 2023-2024.
"Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in the WP (Civil) No. 730/2022 & other cases vide their orders dt. 16.09.2023 and 01.04.2024 has directed NMC to submit the details of stipends paid to the Medical interns and residents and accordingly, all the Health Institutions / Medical colleges are hereby directed to submit to NMC the details of stipend paid to their UG Interns, Post-Graduate Residents and Senior Residents or PGs in Super Specialty for the financial year 2023-24 as per Annexure 1 on E-mail ID:- stipend23- 24@nmc.org.in by 23.04.2024 positively," NMC mentioned in the notice dated 16.04.2024.
NMC has provided a similar annexure for the details of the stipend paid to medical students for the academic year 2024-2025. However, in this regard, NMC directed the colleges concerned to update these details on the website of the institute every month (by 5th of every month). The colleges have been asked to submit the complete statement to NMC at the end of each financial year.
The NMC directions come after the Supreme Court order in this matter. The Apex Court was considering the issue of non-payment of stipends to the MBBS interns across the country and directed NMC to submit the details of the stipend paid to MBBS interns in all the medical colleges across all the States within four weeks.
Reaction from the Medical Fraternity:
Addressing the NMC decision, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) lauded the move and thanked the Chairman and Secretary of the Commission for taking this step. In an X (formerly Twitter) post, FAIMA opined it to be a "Great decision to maintain the transparency."
The NMC decision was also praised by the President of the United Doctors Front Association (UDFA), Dr. Lakshya Mittal who opined in an X post that NMC has "taken steps to ensure transparent stipend disbursal."
Speaking to Medical Dialogues regarding the NMC direction to the medical colleges, Dr. Aviral Mathur, the president of FORDA said, "We want NMC to act at the grassroot level, talking and interacting with the residents and interns regarding their actual salaries. Many residents have come forward after the media coverage and the modus operandi across many colleges falls within those 4-5 examples."
"So even though NMC has launched an initiative and we commend that, merely the college’s undertaking should not be taken on face value. They can still submit erroneous/ fake details and get away with it. Leading to very little trickle down effect of this exercise," he further added.
The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) had earlier raised the issue of 'stipend scam'. Expressing its hope that the new NMC move will offer a solution, the association mentioned on X, "When we first raised the issue of ‘fake’ stipends to some residents across the country, we were surprised by the number of #doctors who came forward and were a victim of this atrocity. Finally @NMC_IND intervenes and we are grateful to them & @MoHFW_INDIA for this constructive intervention."
FORDA also expressed its hope that this move will ultimately offer some justice to the Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG) who are doing internship as well. "Hope it sets parity. And hope it lends some justice to #FMG candidates too," the post by FORDA stated.
Also Read: Supreme Court relief: FMGs to now get stipend during internship as Indian MBBS interns
Earlier, the Supreme Court while considering the issue of non-payment of stipend to the FMGs during the compulsory internship noted that the FMGs could not be treated differently and should be paid stipends during their internship like their counterparts who have done MBBS from the Indian medical colleges. Such observations were 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 were not being paid stipends during their internships.
Addressing the issue and the recent move by NMC seeking the stipend details from the colleges, the FMG Wing of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) wrote on X, "After the statement & direction from Hon.Supreme Court, all Medical Colleges & Institutions are asked to submit details of stipend paid to ‘UG Interns,’ ‘PG Residents’ & ‘Senior Residents of Superspeciality Branch’ by @NMC_IND. We hope FMGs will also get equal stipend state wise."
Meanwhile, addressing the matter, the President-Elect of Delhi Medical Association, Dr. Ashwini Dalmiya also opined that all the FMGs should get an equal stipend. "All the FMGs should get equal stipend ( Arrears with interest to those who didn’t get last year ). All state Councils & NMC to ensure," he wrote on X.
Similar opinions were expressed by Jammu and Kashmir Medical Student's Association as well. The association wrote, "All Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) should receive an equal stipend, including arrears with interest for those who didn't receive it last year. All state councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) to ensure this."
Stipend issue:
The issue of non-payment of stipend does not only haunt the MBBS interns as the PG residents belonging to private medical colleges also complain of ongoing stipend scam. Despite the guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) asking medical colleges to pay stipends to postgraduate medical students from private medical colleges, the complaints regarding non-payment of stipends remain unsolved.
Recently around 100 PG students at a private medical college in Sullia, Karnataka complained of non-payment of their monthly stipend by the college authorities. Even though the guidelines state that the PG doctors are entitled to receive Rs 45,000, Rs 50,000, and Rs 55,000 for their first, second, and third years, respectively. However, students revealed that they are only receiving Rs 10,000, Rs 12,500, and Rs 15,000 for the corresponding years.
Such stipend issues were earlier highlighted by the Right to Information (RTI) activist Sharanabasappa Ambesinghe as well who had previously demanded a police investigation of a similar alleged scam at Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College.
Medical Dialogues had last year reported about the glaring disparities in the amount of stipend paid to the Undergraduate and Postgraduate medical students across the country. As per the data regarding the students admitted through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) examination 2022, which is available on the official website of the Commission, there were glaring disparities in the stipend paid to the Junior Resident doctors across the institutes in a state and also across the country.
The data revealed that the minimum amount of stipend (Rs 20,000 or less than Rs 20,000 per month) is paid to the resident doctors pursuing their postgraduate medical education in medical colleges located in States like Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile recently releasing the final Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (PGMER 2023), which were published in the official Gazette on 29.12.2023, the National Medical Commission (NMC) introduced uniformity in the amount of stipend paid to the PG medicos in a particular State/UT.
The Commission specified that the PG medicos who are pursuing degree, diploma or super-speciality courses should be paid a stipend at par with the stipend being paid to the PG students of Government institutes, in that particular State/UT.
Also Read: Uniform Stipend for all PG Medicos in a particular State, UT: NMC
