Gujarat FMGs left in a lurch as Gujarat Medical Education Dept refused to disburse stipends

Despite a 2022 order from the National Medical Commission (NMC) and a Supreme Court judgement promoting equitable stipends, Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in Gujarat who just finished internships have yet to get their 12-month stipend, with the state government refusing payment.

FMGs who enrolled at government medical universities in 2024 and finished their studies this year claim they were promised stipends but have yet to receive them despite serving a full year. They have now filed an appeal seeking equal treatment with Indian medical graduates.

The FMGs expressed discontent and sought equal and proper stipends for the work they accomplished on par with their Indian colleagues. The graduates claim that they were promised a stipend on time throughout their internship, but no payments were provided after months. A full year has passed, and they still have not been paid, Medical Dialogues reports.

They submitted complaints out of frustration, but the authorities eventually rejected them.

In response to the complaint, the Medical Education and Research Department in Gujarat's Gandhinagar wrote in a letter that during a high-level discussion, it was decided that stipends could not be provided to FMG interns.

This move has disappointed international medical graduates, who claim that they perform the same duties as Indian medical graduates, yet continue to endure financial disadvantages.