The Maharashtra government has mandated that private medical institutions must pay MBBS interns a monthly stipend of INR 18,000. This amount matches the stipend received by the interns of government-run institutions.
This order comes after 13 MBBS interns from the NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital in Nagpur filed a plea at the Bombay High Court's (HC) bench. They reported receiving only INR 4,000 per month, much less than the stipend at government institutions. The interns demanded equal pay for the year-long compulsory rotatory residential internship (CRRI).
The director of medical education and research issued a circular on July 10 to the deans of all private medical colleges in the state. The circular stated that a government resolution (GR) from February, which set the stipend for government college interns at INR 18,000, will now also apply to private institutions.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) is the top body overseeing medical education. It had set guidelines for the CRRI over two years ago. These guidelines authorized relevant authorities to decide the interns' stipend amount.
In December 2023, the NMC instructed all state directors of medical education to make sure interns were paid according to these guidelines. Despite the February GR, they highlighted that private hospitals and institutions did not have a standard stipend amount for doctors. As a result, stipends varied significantly across different institutions.
A panel of justices Nitin Sambare and Abhay Mantri heard the case last week. They requested responses from the college, the state government, and the NMC. The case references a temporary Supreme Court ruling from October 2023.
This reference ruling had required the Army College of Medical Sciences in New Delhi to pay its MBBS interns INR 25,000 per month. Interns from the Army College had informed the Supreme Court that they were not receiving any stipend. It was also claimed that nearly 70% of medical colleges were not providing an equitable stipend.
Following this, the Supreme Court instructed the NMC to compile a chart detailing whether the allegation of non-payment of stipends by 70% of medical colleges was accurate. The commission was also asked to explain any measures taken to ensure interns were paid.
However, in April this year, the court noted that the NMC's findings were incomplete. The highest court then ordered the NMC to provide detailed information on the stipends paid by medical universities across the country within four weeks.
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