Sky-High Fees, Peanut Stipend! Punjab MBBS Interns, Resident Doctors take to streets in protest

Patiala: MBBS interns and resident doctors from Government medical colleges across Punjab are protesting against the huge cost of medical education in the State and extremely low stipend. In their agitation, the medicos staged a rally yesterday.

While the 2020 batch MBBS interns paid Rs 7.8 lakh for undergoing medical education in Punjab, they get only Rs 15,000 per month as stipend. The amount of the fee is even higher for the consecutive batches. Those who were admitted to the MBBS courses at the Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) in 2024 will have to pay Rs 9.5 lakh as their entire course fee.

Similarly, the resident doctors in the State GMCs receive around Rs 67,000 as their stipend, which is a significantly lower amount when compared to the neighbouring States, including Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Protesting against the high fee structure and low stipend amounts, the MBBS interns and resident doctors in Rajasthan have urged the authorities to increase the stipend and rationalise the tuition fee and other institutional fees.

Stipend for MBBS Interns Unchanged since 2019:

Highlighting their concerns, a group of MBBS interns from various GMCs located in Amritsar, Patiala, and Faridkot recently submitted their representation to the Chief Minister. They pointed out that for the 2015 MBBS batch, the stipend given to MBBS interns was increased by the State Government from Rs 9,000 per month to Rs 15,000 per month.

This stipend increase was granted back in the year 2019, and for the last 6 years, there has been no increase in the internship stipend, whereas in medical colleges under the Central Government, the stipend has been increased to Rs 30070 per month. Accordingly, the interns requested that their stipend should also be increased to 31650 per month.

Pointing out that the MBBS fees are increased by 5% every year, the students argued that the amount of internship stipend should also be increased by 5%. They highlighted that the MBBS students studying in Punjab pay 2-3 times more fees than those in neighbouring state,s and due to this, poor and middle-class families have to face a lot of financial hardship. Referring to this, the interns have urged the Chief Minister to consider reducing the amount of fees.

Even though the 2019 batch of MBBS students had raised this issue to the State Government last year as well, even after a year, no positive response has been granted by the authorities.

Resident Doctors Demand Stipend Hike:

Just like the MBBS interns, the resident doctors in the State also highlighted that the amount of stipend that they receive (Rs 67,978) is considerably lower than the neighbouring states like Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

"Considering the high inflation and living costs, this stipend is insufficient to meet basic financial obligations," the resident doctors argued in the letters addressed to the principal of their institutes.

"As emphasised in Articles 21 and 41 of the Constitution of India and per the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, we assert that fair compensation is not only a legal requirement but a matter of dignity and social justice. Resident doctors often work over 80-100/ per week in critical, high-pressure environments- such dedication must be recognised with just remuneration," read the letter submitted by RDA Faridkot to the Principal of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College & Hospital.

Further, they pointed out that the tuition fees for the resident doctors in Punjab is significantly higher than other government institutes. They also highlighted that the medical students in Punjab have to bear compulsory academic expenses, hostel and departmental charges, and research-related costs.

"This fee structure is in direct contradiction to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019, which advocates for affordable and equitable medical education," the letter added.

"We, the RDA Pathankot, join hands with our colleagues from RDA Patiala and demand the following from the Government of Punjab and relevant administrative authorities: Immediate upward revision of resident doctor stipends to be on par with national standards Substantial reduction and rationalization of tuition and other institutional fees," read the letter. A similar letter was submitted by the RDA, GMC Amritsar as well to the Director Principal of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

Demands from resident doctors in Patiala:

Apart from these common demands, the resident doctors from GMC Patiala have also demanded an immediate and uniform implementation of NPA to all eligible PCMS doctors across Punjab.

They also alleged that the resident doctors were being burdened with clerical work such as file duty and bedhead ticket maintenance. "Burdening us with non-academic and legal responsibilities compromises our education and undermines the principle of Academic based residency. File duty may seem small to some, but when it consumes hours of our daily lives and it becomes a tool of silent exploitation," they mentioned in a letter addressed to the Director Principal of Govt Medical College and Rajindra Hospital Patiala.

"Rajindra Hospital has no Emergency Medical Officers posted. The burden falls on us — PG residents — to run entire emergency units with zero formal authority and no additional support. Despite sanctioned PCMS posts being available, they remain empty. We are exhausted. We are burning out. And when things go wrong — which they inevitably do under this pressure — we are blamed," they also highlighted, arguing that "This is not education. This is exploitation."

Further, the informed the authorities that the SOP is not being implemented or directed by the hospital as it should be. They claimed that nursing staff denies it to be their work and alleged that the burden of the SOP is unfairly placed on resident doctors.

Warning of initiating protest, the RDA Patiala had added in the letter, "If no substantial steps are taken by May 26, 2025, we will begin a peaceful gate protest under the fundamental rights guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech) and Article 19(1)(b) (right to peaceful assembly). This protest will be coordinated across all major government medical colleges of Punjab — united under one cause, one voice."

Speaking to Medical Dialogues, the Advisor of RDA GMC and RH Patiala, Dr. Milanpreet Thind said, "Our fees get increased gradually, but the amount of stipend does not increase. So, our request to the Government is to provide D.A along with stipend, so that we do not have to protest after five years."

"We have been writing to the authorities since March, April...nothing has happened yet. Strike is our last resort," he added. When asked about any possibilities of strike, he said, "We are avoiding strike, so that may be we will get a call from higher authorities and have table talks. And also, patients should not suffer."

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), Dr. Meet Ghonia, also raised the issue of Punjab doctors. He told Medical Dialogues, "500/day stipend is very less for Intern Doctors. When they are paying almost 8 lacs fees for MBBS, they should atleast receive stipend according to it. Many states in which the fees are very low, still, they are paying respectful stipend to intern doctors."

Also Read: Over 2500 Punjab Govt doctors to resume strike on January 20 over unmet demands