It has been over seven months since the current batch of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in Rajasthan began their compulsory internships. Yet, not a single intern has received a stipend, despite repeated appeals and protests, claim students.
Students say the issue is not limited to the current batch. In fact, no FMG interns have reportedly been paid since 2022.
Recently, following a protest held by FMG interns on June 2, officials reportedly told students that stipends are allotted only to those who fall within the additional 7.5 per cent internship quota for FMGs, as per National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines. The NMC’s 2021 notification limits state medical councils to accommodate FMGs up to 7.5 per cent of the total permitted MBBS seats in a college, in addition to Indian Medical Graduates.
However, due to consistently high pass rates in the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in recent years, more seats have been allotted per batch than what is permitted under the 7.5 per cent cap. FMGs allege that authorities are using this to justify the lack of stipends, citing budget limitations.
While Indian students and FMGs posted in central government institutes continue to receive Rs 14,000 as basic pay plus applicable Dearness Allowance (DA), interns under the Rajasthan state government have been left out.
This is despite multiple circulars from the NMC mandating that FMGs be paid stipends on par with Indian medical graduates, and earlier Supreme Court rulings reinforcing the same.
“Over the past few years, the NMC has issued multiple circulars mandating stipends for FMGs. Even the Supreme Court has ruled that FMGs must be paid on par with IMGs. If the state government fails to comply, what can we students do? We’re not asking for anything illegal, but what is rightfully ours,” said Siddharth, an FMG intern from Rajasthan.
Interns say the issue is not limited to non-payment. Several FMGs report that they were made to sign affidavits at the time of joining, agreeing not to demand stipends during the internship. In some cases, this was a condition to access seats.
“It’s been more than seven months since our batch joined internships, and we haven’t received stipends for even a single month. In fact, during the joining process, a few colleges made students sign affidavits stating that they would not demand stipends during the internship,” Kartikey, another FMG intern from Rajasthan, informed EdexLive.
Across both current and previous batches, students estimate that between 2,500 and 3,000 FMGs are awaiting stipend payments in the state.
The non-payment of stipends has created a financial toll on the interns, many of whom come from modest financial backgrounds, students expressed. In the absence of stipends, a few have taken up part-time jobs, despite it being prohibited during internships, to meet basic expenses.
“I secured a state-wise rank of 27 and was confident about securing an internship seat easily. But that wasn’t the case. I’m from a small district called Tonk, where the only available internship seat was in a non-teaching hospital. We were told that only teaching hospitals affiliated with government medical colleges can offer stipends. That’s why I had to move away from home,” Siddharth added.
The affected interns say they have raised their concerns with the Rajasthan Medical Education Society (RAJMES), the Chief Minister’s Office, and the National Medical Commission, but no effective resolution has been offered so far.
With no stipends, no clear communication from authorities, and no fixed timeline for resolution, FMG interns continue to serve in Rajasthan’s hospitals without compensation, despite legal provisions entitling them to it.
