BENGALURU: It has been a year, and the Medical Council of India (MCI) is still ‘waiting’ for suggestions and comments on the amendment to the regulations of ‘Graduate Medical Education, 1997’, which would make MBBS interns of private colleges eligible for stipends like postgraduate medical students. Interns at most private medical colleges are forced to work for free or paid very little, while they do equal amount of work as their PG counterparts.
“We were quite hopeful when the MCI put out a public notice way back in 2019 stating that it is considering an amendment to the regulations. However, nothing has come through. Why is MCI sitting on this proposal,” asked Priyadarshini B K, an MBBS student from one of the private colleges in Bengaluru.
This is an issue not only in Karnataka, but also in several states, including Kerala and Odisha. Medical experts feel that it can be sorted out only if MCI makes it mandatory and passes a rule.
On February 5, 2019, the MCI board of governors issued a public notice proposing to make it compulsory for private colleges to pay stipends on par with the state or central governments’ remuneration. The board said that it was considering amending the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 to include a provision to this effect. It had sought comments and suggestions within 15 days.
Dr Babu K V, a Kerala-based activist and founder-member of the Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare (ADEH), told TNIE that it has been a long wait and he had, in fact, appreciated the MCI move when it was announced last year. “The plight of MBBS interns was brought to the notice of MCI way back in 2016, but we were very disappointed with their answer. This is a burning issue in many states and it was brought to the attention of the Travancore Kochin Medical Council, which transferred it to MCI in 2016,” he said.
But the MCI at its executive meeting in 2017 washed its hands of the issue, even in cases concerning Karnataka interns, he explained. “The Executive Committee did not approve the recommendations of the Academic Committee as GME Regulations do not provide for payment of stipend to interns and said the issue is beyond the purview of MCI,” he said. Dr Veerabhadraiah T A of KMC said, “In the coming meeting, we will discuss this issue with our chairman. It can be sorted out if MCI makes it compulsory.”
Stipend amount ranges from Rs 20,000-25,000 in various states
PG students are paid anywhere between
Rs 30,000 and
Rs 40,000
Central government PG students are paid above Rs 25,000