NEW DELHI: Many private medical colleges in India are saving large sums of money by not paying stipends to MBBS interns or offering them much lower amounts than government colleges. The National Medical Council (NMC), responsible for enforcing regulations, has failed to take strict action against these institutions.
Lack of Transparency and NMC’s Inaction
Several private medical colleges have not provided details about the stipends they pay to MBBS interns. While the NMC initially warned of action, it later passed the responsibility to state authorities. As a result, no concrete steps have been taken to ensure fair payments.
According to data submitted to the Supreme Court, thousands of final-year MBBS students working in hospitals receive less than the national minimum wage of ₹5,300 per month. Reports indicate that at least 20 private colleges pay ₹5,000 or less, and some do not provide any stipend at all. The NMC has known about this issue since July last year but has not acted against these colleges.
Stipend Differences Among Colleges
The stipend for MBBS interns is decided by medical universities based on NMC guidelines. Top institutions like AIIMS offer around ₹30,000 per month to their interns. However, the actual stipend varies depending on the college and state rules.
Interns working in prestigious government or private hospitals under NMC supervision receive higher salaries. On the other hand, those in smaller hospitals, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, earn significantly lower stipends. An intern’s merit also influences where they get placed and how much they earn during their internship.
Regulations and Loopholes
The NMC’s PG Medical Education Regulation 2023 states that private colleges must pay interns a stipend equal to what government medical colleges in the same state offer to resident doctors. However, the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations 2021 do not clearly mention the exact stipend amount. Instead, they leave it to individual institutions, universities, or state authorities to decide.
Taking advantage of this vague rule, many private medical colleges continue to pay extremely low stipends—or none at all—while the NMC remains ineffective in enforcing proper standards.
