NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has made yet another U-turn on the issue of medical colleges and institutions allegedly not paying stipends to their interns and postgraduates.
In a new notice, the statutory body that regulates medical education, medical professionals, institutes, and research in India, stated that all medical colleges must submit the complete course-wise fee structure and details regarding stipend payments to MBBS interns, junior residents, and senior residents.
The public notice, dated July 11 and issued by NMC Secretary Raghav Langer, warned that non-compliance would result in the issuance of a show-cause notice, imposition of financial penalties, withdrawal of course recognition, and suspension of admissions.
The latest directive comes merely four days after the NMC allegedly shirked its responsibility and shifted the onus — first to the college, then to the university they are affiliated with, and finally to the state — for addressing the grievances of students regarding various challenges they face, including the long-standing issue of stipend payments.
This newspaper has published a series of stories highlighting the stipend issue, which has been one of the major demands of interns and postgraduate students and has also been taken up by various resident doctors’ associations.
The new NMC notice, which contradicts its own stance from just four days earlier, comes in the wake of the suspension of 64 MBBS interns from Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Sciences (CAIMS), a private medical college in Telangana, for a week following protests by the students over the non-payment of government-mandated stipends.
Speaking with this paper, Kerala-based RTI activist Dr K V Babu, who has been pursuing the stipend issue for the past year and has filed a series of RTIs, described the latest notice as “mere eyewash.”
“NMC has repeatedly responded to my RTI, stating that the responsibility to take action is with the state authorities. A public notice issued on July 8 put the onus on the college, the university, and the state. The NMC lists sixty government and private medical colleges that have not paid their interns and PGs' stipends. Fifty medical colleges have paid a nominal stipend only. What is it doing with that data?” he asked.
“The NMC had issued a similar warning in November 2024, too. But nothing happened against the erring medical colleges. What is the purpose of reissuing the same public notice? Instead of issuing notices, the NMC should take action under the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations (MSME), 2023,” Dr Babu said.
In the notice, the NMC stated, “In pursuance of ensuring transparency and protecting students from hidden or arbitrary fee demands, as well as addressing concerns regarding non-payment of stipends, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has taken various measures in line with existing regulations and judicial mandates.”
It referred to various regulations that mandate stipend payments to interns, stating, “These provisions require payment of stipends to interns as determined by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution or university concerned.”
“In compliance with the above-mentioned regulations and court directions, all medical colleges/institutions under the purview of the NMC are hereby directed to publish the complete course-wise fee structure and the stipend paid to interns/ JR/ SR, etc. on their official websites.”
“For uniform disclosure and monitoring, a Google Form link has been created by the NMC, through which institutions must submit the complete course-wise fee structure and details regarding stipend payment to MBBS interns/ JR/ SR etc,” said the letter, addressed to all deans and principals of all medical colleges/institutes and directorates of medical education of all states.
It added that many medical colleges also share the fee structure and stipend details on the Intra MCC portal; however, the same is not comprehensive.
The notice stated that the NMC is “committed to fostering fair, ethical, and transparent practices in medical education across the country.”
It also said that all NMC-approved medical colleges/institutions are instructed to complete the Google Form within seven days from the date the public notice is issued on the NMC website.