Stipend disbursement has been a long-standing unresolved issue for medical interns and residents. As the National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed all medical colleges and institutions to submit the details of stipends paid to interns and residents via a letter dated April 16, medicos share their thoughts and views on the same.
To recall, resident doctors at Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College (MRMC) Kalaburagi, Karnataka were on strike in March 2024 alleging that the college management has been withdrawing a major fraction of their stipends every month. In February 2024, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) along with over 8,000 resident was on a mass strike demanding hike in stipend. Similarly, Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) wrote several representations and made multiple attempts over delay in disbursement of stipend in 2023. In November 2023, over 2,600 medical PGs in Kerala staged protest for the same and in October, same year resident doctors of Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences or PGIMS Rohtak wrote to Governor of Haryana Bandaru Dattatreya urging for hike. Moreover, medicos from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu have also staged demonstration for the same.
Joint Secretary of Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) B Venkata Durga Ashok opined, “NMC is student-friendly but resistance against delayed or unjust stipends should come from the medicos at the ground level.” Currently pursuing his first year of postgraduation at Bhaskar Medical College, Telangana, Ashok alleges, “Among 21 medical colleges in the state, not even a single college follows NMC guidelines or state’s government order to pay stipends on par with that of residents in government colleges.”
Ashok further claims that the colleges/institutions are creating fake accounts in the name of medicos to swindle the stipend debited in the very same accounts. “At least residents get a stipend of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. But the interns are not paid any stipend,” he claims, bringing to light another issue.With regards to the situation of fake bank accounts and stipends in Telangana, the T-JUDA Joint Secretary said they are planning to approach the high court shortly.
Similarly, Dr Samyak Bansal from Jaipur, who is currently an intern, shared, “Private medical colleges in Rajasthan pay a stipend of Rs 5,000 as against the state government order of Rs 18,500.” Even seniors have faced the same brunt, he adds.
While the current residents or interns are alleging meagre stipends, the interns of the Army College of Medical Sciences (ACMS) in New Delhi who concluded their internship in March 2023 are still fighting a legal battle in the apex court for their year-long stipends.
Long legal battle in SC
Petitioner Dr Abhishek Yadav told EdexLive, “Our case started in September 2022, urging for payment of stipends for our internship which started in April 2022. Two years passed by and we have completed our internship without stipends, but our case is still going on.”
“Next hearing is listed on May 6, 2024,” he adds. As reported earlier, the Supreme Court, on February 26, questioned why colleges charge crores of fees when they are not paying interns their stipends. “Pay interns or don’t have internships,” the Supreme Court ordered medical colleges in its hearing.
Suggestions pour in
Reacting to the NMC’s notice dated April 16 asking medical colleges/institutions to submit stipend details, another petitioner of the same case from ACMS, Dr Dheeraj Malha, said, “NMC should devise a provision to fix a minimum range of stipend. We want NMC to work more strictly.”
Ashok opines that students should resist if stipends are not paid. “This stipend problem will be solved only with the collective involvement of students, state government, health minister, health secretary and administration,” he said, adding that independent inquiry and investigation should be launched on the medical colleges and institutions to bring in the fear factor.
Threats to medicos
When asked why medicos usually don't voice out their issues around stipends collectively, they revealed that they were subjected to threats like they would be purportedly failed in exams and or they will not be allowed to sit for the final exams, if they decided to step forward and bring the issue to light. Additionally, they feared that vindictive colleges and institutions would hold back their Internship Completion Certificate (ICC).
