‘NMC yet to act on colleges over unpaid stipend’

The highest number of medical colleges and institutions violating the norms were found to be in Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
National Medical Commission (NMC).
National Medical Commission (NMC). (Photo | Twitter)
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NEW DELHI: Responding to an RTI reply, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has refused to share the action it has taken against 198 medical colleges and institutions that have not paid stipends to undergraduate interns, postgraduate residents, and senior residents. The top body for medical education in India said that the matter is sub-judice.

Interestingly, NMC had issued show cause notices to these 198 government and private medical colleges and institutions last November, for non-submission of the details of stipends paid to interns and resident doctors in super speciality colleges and institutions.

The highest number of medical colleges and institutions violating the norms were found to be in Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

Speaking to this newspaper, Kerala-based RTI activist Dr KV Babu said, “The NMC has the track record of shielding private medical colleges that are not complying with its regulations regarding stipend for interns/PGs. Otherwise, how can they stonewall an RTI application, invoking sub-judice issues?”

“Why did they disclose the show cause notice issued to 198 medical colleges on their website if it was sub-judice? How will disclosing the stipend paid to interns and PGs affect the court proceedings? Even otherwise, NMC itself has instructed the medical colleges to upload the details of stipends paid during the 2025 academic year onwards,” he added.

Dr Babu had filed an RTI on December 12, 2024, seeking details of the stipend submitted by 115 government medical colleges and 83 private medical colleges based on the show cause notice issued by the NMC on November 28, 2024; action taken based on the notice and colleges reply; and file noting.

In its reply on January 13, NMC said, “The matter has been transferred to legal section UGMEB, NMC, and as per available information, the matter is sub-judice.” The Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) determines standards of medical education at the undergraduate level.

The NMC listed the names on its website of the institutions, which included Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences, and Dr RML Hospital, only after the Supreme Court ordered them to submit the details of the stipends paid.

Dr Babu, who also filed an RTI in 2023 on this matter, said, “In an RTI response in 2023, they refused to share the details of college managements, which took back the stipend paid to 1,228 PGs, invoking third-party information. To date, there is nothing in the public domain about any action taken against those colleges.”

In a letter dated November 28, last year, NMC secretary Dr B Srinivas said the “defaulting medical colleges are directed to furnish the data relating payment of stipend during 2023-24 on the dedicated email ID stipend23-24@nmc.org.in immediately and within the next three days from the issue of this show cause notice.”

DURAI

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