NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry is considering an appeal against the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) inaction on stipend parity for undergraduate medical interns in government and private colleges, according to an RTI reply.
The ministry has written to the NMC twice, asking it to examine the issue. Medical interns’ and resident doctors’ associations, including FAIMA and FORDA, have repeatedly raised the demand.
In February, the NMC acknowledged the absence of stipend parity and said an amendment was needed through the statutory process. However, responding to RTI activist Dr KV Babu’s June 30 query, it said, “As and when the regulations are revised, the inputs will be sought from stakeholders.”
Dr Babu, a Kerala-based ophthalmologist, told this paper that he filed an appeal with the ministry on July 15, seeking action against the NMC for failing to act despite two reminders.
In an RTI reply dated October 22, the ministry said his “appeal is under consideration.” “The issue of stipend parity for interns has been pending with the government for over four years and with the NMC for more than a year,” he said.
“Even though the Ministry of Health wrote to the NMC in November 2025 to review the stipend provision for UG interns under the CRMI Regulations, 2021, considering the rules under PGMER, 2023, the NMC has not acted yet,” he added.
Ministry to NMC
The ministry had asked the NMC to examine amending the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations, 2021, which state that “interns shall be paid a stipend as fixed by appropriate authority.”