‘A routine circus': PG medical students lobby, move court to get stipends

Despite NMC orders, many medical colleges still seriously underpay resident doctors and threaten them into silence. In government colleges, stipends can be delayed for months

- Sheena Sachdeva

No matter who runs the medical college, stipends are a problem for postgraduate medical students.

Despite orders from the medical education regulator, National Medical Commission (NMC) and state bodies, private medical colleges continue to underpay resident doctors or, more perfidiously, force them to return a part of the amount after paying to square things with the regulations.

In public medical colleges, too, stipends are often way below standards set by the state and delayed by months. 

For a brief period during the COVID19 pandemic, resident doctors were able to wrangle better pay for themselves. Several states raised the stipends paid to medical interns and residents. But problems have persisted and now, the residents and their associations across the country are demanding a common policy.

Private medical colleges

In early 2023, an NMC survey of close to 8,000 PG students revealed that 26% of students of private medical colleges were denied stipends and 42% said the amount was not at par with government colleges. Further, stipends of 1,228 students were taken back by the colleges.

In a private medical college in Udaipur, Rajasthan, resident doctors are receiving Rs. 20,000 as stipends - a quarter of what they are supposed to be paid. For junior residents, the stipends are supposed to be Rs. 80,000-82,000, Rs. 84,000 and Rs. 87,000 in the first, second and third years, respectively. Another private medical college, also in Udaipur, initially deposits the full stipend and then threatens residents into returning it, said a student, asking not to be named.

A similar instance was reported by Careers360 in Telangana in April 2023 and the problem still persists across private medical colleges in the state. Students in Medchal and Mahabubnagar, Telangana, said they haven't received stipends for months.