NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has directed the Union Health Ministry to take “appropriate action” addressing the non-payment of stipends by medical colleges to interns and residents.
As many as 60 medical colleges and institutions -- including 33 government institutions -- out of over 500 have failed to pay stipends to their undergraduate interns, postgraduate residents and senior resident.
Despite the mandate, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has yet to take against the institutes for the non-payment of stipends. In fact, the NMC has shifted responsibility to the states in which these institutions are located, claiming that the state governments must take action against erring institutions. The Union Health Ministry has also evaded the issue.
The PMO’s directive to the ministry came in response to an RTI filed by Kerala-based activist Dr K V Babu, who has been pursuing the matter for the past two years.
In the RTI reply, the PMO said that Dr Babu’s letter was received by the PMO on March 21 and has been forwarded “for action as appropriate” through the Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) to the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
“Redressal of grievance is under the purview of appropriate authority dealing with subject-specific. Therefore, the information sought relates to the authority concerned to which the complaint was forwarded,” the RTI reply, dated April 24, said.
Dr Babu said he had written to the PMO after the NMC did not take any action and the health ministry failed to ensure the Council followed rules.
"Here is a peculiar situation, and hence, I have made the request to the PMO. The State Medical Councils have no jurisdiction on this issue, and the NMC has failed to take action, while the Health Ministry has been evasive, though payment of stipend to MBBS interns and PG doctors is mandatory. Non-payment of stipend is punishable, as per the NMC regulations,” Dr Babu added.
"I do believe intervention by the PMO will end the injustice to interns and PG doctors who are not being paid any stipend or even nominal stipends by many medical college managements across the nation," he added.
On January 29, Dr Babu wrote to Union Health Minister JP Nadda and urged him to intervene under Section 45 of the NMC Act, which gives the central government the power to issue policy directions to the Commission and Autonomous Boards.
He then wrote to the PMO on March 16. When he did not receive a response, he filed an RTI on March 23 to seek the status of his letter to the PMO.