Uniform Stipend to MBBS Interns: MCI BOG issues Public Notice, invites Suggestions

New Delhi: In a move that is finally going to bring a smile on the faces of MBBS students across all corners of the country, the Medical Council of India Board of Governors has now touched the topic of providing a uniform stipend to all MBBS interns at private medical colleges as it is provided at the government medical institutions at that location/state.

For the same, the MCI Board of Governors is now mulling to change the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 to add in the clause and have now invited suggestions from the public.

Stipend parity has been a long-standing demand of MBBS interns practising at different private medical colleges in the country. It has been repeatedly been alleged that the interns at private medical colleges are indeed treated as slaves and not even paid enough stipend to enable them to meet their basic needs. There also have been many instances where private medical colleges have not even paid the stipend to its interns to continuous periods of time

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Health, being a state subject and many medical institutions falling under the autonomous bodies; all medicos associated with different institutions running in different states, receive stipends as per the policy of those institutions. For that reason, medicos have been urging the government to bring in uniformity in the stipend process.

The issue had been raised with the Medical Council of India at numerous points in the past, however, the MCI had shown its inability to take action against the private medical institutions on the issue of non-payment of stipend/payment of low stipend citing lack of authority with the council to take action in this regard. The issue was brought up one of the Executive Meeting of the council in 2017 but the EC held that “Graduate Medical Education (GME) Regulations 1997 do not provide for the payment of stipend to the interns” and that the issue was beyond the purview of the council.

Now hitting the nail right on the head, the Board of Governors in Supersession of Medical Council of India; are considering including the provision of pay parity of MBBS interns at private medical colleges as compared to government medical institutes of that location/state. The apex medical regulator is mulling over to add this proposed amendment in the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997.

Via its recent official notice, the MCI BoG has invited all the concerned to give their suggestions/comments on the same. The notice, however, did not specify where the comments can be sent

The public notice dated 25.01.2019, signed by Secretary General, Dr Sanjay Shrivatava, clearly states,

"All the candidates pursuing compulsory rotating internship at the institution from which MBBS course was completed, shall be paid stipend on par with the stipend being paid to the interns of the State Govt. Medical Institution / Central Government Medical Institution in the State / Union Territory where the institution is located."

All concerned are requested to give their comments / suggestions within 15 days to bring the above amendment in Regulations for payment of stipend to interns.

Medical Dialogues team had recently reported that the central government increased the stipends from Rs 17,000 per month to Rs 23,500 for medical interns associated with various central government medical colleges in the country.

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