NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) appears to be dilly-dallying on the issue of pay parity for all undergraduate medical interns, according to an RTI.
This is despite the Union Health Ministry twice writing to the NMC, which regulates medical education in the country, to “examine” the issue of pay parity, a burning issue with medical students of both public and private colleges. In February, the NMC accepted that there is no stipend parity and that an amendment is needed in accordance with statutory process.
However, in an RTI response, dated June 30, the NMC said, “As and when the regulations are revised or amended, the inputs will be sought from stakeholders.” The response was to RTI activist Dr KV Babu’s query on what communication has been shared from the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB), an autonomous board under the NMC, which regulates undergraduate medical education, to the Medical Education Policy Sectionunder the health ministry or by the NMC to the board.
Speaking with this paper, Kerala-based Dr Babu said, “The issue of stipend parity for interns is pending with the government and the NMC for more than four years. The government clearly wrote to NMC in December last year to consider an amendment to regulations to bring stipend parity.”
“Though UGMEB replied in February 2026 about the need for an amendment, NMC is yet to start the process, as per the response,” said Dr Babu.
The Health Ministry had asked the NMC to examine amending the key provision of the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations, 2021 (CRMI Regulations 2021), which states that “all interns shall be paid a stipend as fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution/university or State.” This provision contrasts with the Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulation-2023, which makes no distinction between interns of government or private medical colleges.
