NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has refused to share the details of private medical colleges that paid stipends to medical students and then took it back, in reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application.
Kerala-based ophthalmologist and activist Dr KV Babu, who filed the RTI application, said, “I had asked for names and lists of private medical colleges in India, which gave stipends to medical students, which was later taken back by the management. I got the RTI reply on Wednesday. The NMC declined the information, saying that third-party information cannot be given under Section 8 of RTI Act, 2005.”
The NMC surveyed undergraduates and postgraduate medical students in India as directed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the last week of April and the first week of May.
The NHRC took up the matter following a Kerala student’s complaint that the stipend given to MBBS interns is inadequate and in violation of government order.
The NMC had informed the NHRC that they would submit a detailed survey report later.
In its advisory on payment of stipends to PG medical students on August 24, NMC said data on 7,901 PG students from 213 self-financed or private medical colleges spread across 19 states showed that 16 per cent of PG students have to return the stipend money to college management.
However, it did not name the private medical colleges.
In his RTI application dated August 28, Dr Babu asked the NMC to name the private medical colleges that paid stipends to 1,228 students, but the management took it back.
“It is clear from the public notice dated August 24 regarding the survey among PG doctors that almost 8,000 PG doctors are not paid stipulated stipends. Of the total numbers, 1,228 PG doctors were paid stipends, but the management took it back,” he told this paper.
“The managements of those private medical colleges are cheating the NMC, students and the public. Instead of disclosing their names on the website, the NMC is stonewalling RTI applications. It is clear that the NMC is trying to protect the private medical college managements,” he said.
Babu said he had also asked for the copies of the notice issued by the NMC to the colleges that violated the regulations.
“I had also asked for the status of the recognition of PG courses of those courses of the colleges. They should have at least shared the copies of the notice and action taken,” he said.
As per Regulation 13 of Post Graduate Medical Education Regulation, 2000, “The PG students of the institutions located in various states/UTs shall be paid remuneration at par with the remuneration being paid to the PG students of state government medical institutions/Central government medical institutions, in the state/UT in which the institution is located.
ERRATIC PAYMENTS