More than six months into their internships, foreign medical graduates (FMGs) in Jammu and Kashmir remain unpaid despite a Supreme Court ruling mandating equal stipends for FMGs and Indian Medical Graduates and supporting guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
The interns have taken multiple steps to address the issue, including filing Right to Information (RTI) applications, submitting formal representations, and even visiting the state health secretariat. Yet, their grievances remain unresolved.
Speaking to EdexLive, an FMG from Kashmir from the January 2024 FMGE batch, said on condition of anonymity, “I completed my MBBS in Bangladesh, and if I had done my internship there as well, it would have been considered valid. However, since I had scored well and could have secured internships in any government college in my state, I chose to return to India. We began our internships on May 27, 2024, and it’s been over six months, yet we haven’t received a single penny.”
Medical interns stressed that the problem is far from new. Their seniors faced the same issue despite guidelines released by the NMC recommending equal stipends for FMGs and Indian Medical Graduates.
Moreover, Jammu and Kashmir offers one of the lowest stipends for MBBS interns in the country — just Rs 12,300 per month. Medical interns have also been calling for a hike in their stipends on par with other states.
“There’s a misconception that FMGs secure admission in foreign institutes solely through their parents' money and don’t need stipends because they come from well-off financial backgrounds. However, this is far from the truth. Many of our parents had to take loans or sell properties to help us pursue our dreams. We are meritorious students who have qualified the NEET-UG and FMGE,” the FMG added.
It is worth noting that in October 2024, the J&K Medical Council instructed the new FMGs from the June 2024 batch to submit affidavits stating they would not claim stipends. In response to RTIs filed by the interns in June 2024, the Governor’s Grievance Cell cited "non-availability of funds" as the reason for withholding stipends.